Recap by Olivia Currier

On Saturday, June 1, the Ocean City Nor’easters kept their undefeated season alive with a 2-0 shutout win against the Lehigh Valley United Rush. The match was held at John Makuvek Field at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pa., and featured goals scored by Marco Silva (Marshall / Coopersburg, PA) and Alberto Cruz (Memphis / Madrid, Spain).

With the win, Ocean City extends their club record regular season road unbeaten streak to 23 games and an
overall record this season of 3-0-0. While United drops to 0-3-0 without scoring a single goal in three matches.

The Nor’easters entered the match heavily favored to win, with an all-time record of 16-2-0 against LVU. Ocean City had not lost to Lehigh since a road game on May 29, 2019.

The Nor’easters displayed a dominant performance throughout the game, leading in possession roughly 65% to 35%.

After a flurry of quick passes and an assist by Nolan Spicer (Notre Dame / Bay Village, OH), Marco Silva put the Nor’easters on the board with a goal in the 28th minute. Silva now boasts a three game point streak, having at least one assist in each of the first three games of the season.

Shortly after, in the 33rd minute, Alberto Cruz buried a rebound in front of the net to score the
Nor’easters' second goal. The rebound came after Marco Silva fired a shot that was saved by Lehigh Valley's goalkeeper This was Cruz’s second goal of the season. The University of Memphis player scored Ocean City's first goal of the season in the team's season opening win over Philadelphia Lone Star on May 25.

Ocean City maintained its high energy the rest of the half, with several close scoring chances. Shortly before the first half concluded, Silva evaded his defender with quick footwork and launched a shot that was nearly tipped in by Colin Veltri (Elon / Mays Landing, NJ).

The second half featured strong defensive play from both teams and several scoring opportunities for the Nor’easters. Around the 80th minute, Veltri nearly scored a third goal on a shot that hit the post, followed by another shot by Widiez that was blocked on the goal line. Despite efforts by both teams, the second half came to a close without another goal scored, allowing the Nor’easters to take the victory.

Marc Bonnaire (West Virginia / Warrenton, VA) made his second start of the season for the Storm, earning his first clean sheet.

With the win, Ocean City is now tied with Reading United AC for first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division with a game in hand.

Looking ahead, the Nor’easters will play an exhibition match against FC Monmouth (National Premier Soccer League) on June 4 at Carey Stadium ("The Beach House"). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Ocean City's next league game is on the road against Reading United on June 8.