Photo by Joe Hayburn (Twitter/X: @HayburnJoseph)
Recap by George Diamond

The Ocean City Nor’easters dispatched Philadelphia Lone Star FC by the score of 3-1 on Saturday night at Carey Stadium in "America's Greatest Family Resort".

The Nor’easters defense led the way as both center backs scored. Center back Agustin Resch (Seton Hall / Arata, Argentina) scored his third goal of the year to open the game and the other center back Real Salt Lake draft pick Josh Jones (Louisville / Hatfield, PA) scored a brace to earn Man of the Match honors. Fullback Kaelan Debbage (Spring Arbor / Queensland, Australia) provided two assists, and goalkeeper Nathanael Sallah (Nebraska-Omaha / Hamburg, Germany) made several key saves to earn his third win of the year.

The result moves the Nor’easters record to 6-0-0 which is the best start in franchise history which dates back to 1997. There are 128 teams in USL League Two and after Saturday night's result, Ocean City are one of only two teams that boast a perfect record (Seacoast United Phantoms are also 6-0-0 in the Northeast Division).

The first half saw the majority of chances come to Ocean City. With the first corner of the game in the 16th minute, Kaelan Debbage’s delivery found the head of Agustin Resch who headed it home for his team-leading third goal of the season.

In the 31st minute, fellow center back Josh Jones added to the OC lead. After bursting forward to support winger Colin Veltri (Elon / Mays Landing, NJ), Jones’ run was spotted by midfielder Arthur Widiez (Florida Atlantic / Eze, France). The Frenchman found the defender with a slipped pass and Jones made no mistake, finishing from close range for his second goal in as many games. For Widiez, he is now tied for the team lead with three assists. 

After sustained possession, Philadelphia managed to pull one back against the run of play just before halftime in the 44th minute. Mamadou Diarra headed home from a corner for Lone Star. The midfielder also tallied against OC the last time the teams clashed, converting a penalty kick. Diarra accounts for two of the three goals that the Storm defense have allowed the entire season.

The last opportunity of the half would fall to Lone Star. Nor’easter keeper Sallah was equal to the task and secured the shot to see his team to halftime.

After the break, no changes were made for either team to start the second half. Despite many opportunities for Philadelphia, the lead would ultimately remain with Ocean City. While Coach Perrella’s subs brought attacking energy, especially Alberto Cruz (Memphis / Madrid, Spain), it was the Storm’s defense that continued to find success.

In the 75th minute, Jones struck again. Another Debbage corner kick saw Jones leap up and head the ball down, past the Lone Star keeper. The brace moves his season total up to three and his career total to five.

Although Philadelphia kept pushing, they were rarely able to generate shots on target. When they did, goalie Sallah rose, or dove, to the occasion including a vital kick-save to preserve the lead midway through the half.

Perrella additionally subbed on Moses Kafeero (Carleton Univ. / Ottawa, ONT), Diego Palma (Indiana Wesleyan / Santiago, Chile) and Nico Rubio (Seton Hall / Egg Harbor, NJ) to effectively close out the game. Midfielder Nico Rubio, a rising sophomore at Seton Hall from nearby Egg Harbor, N.J., officially made his Ocean City debut. After four minutes of added time, the referee blew his whistle, finalizing the result for the Storm.

This result, combined with a Reading United win over West Chester United on Friday night, keeps Ocean City in control on top of the Mid-Atlantic Division with 18 points. They are five points clear of second place West Chester and the Nor'easters have a game in hand. The Nor’easters also boast the best offense and defense in the division with 18 goals scored and just three goals allowed in six games.

Jones and Resch, both center backs, are now tied for the team lead in goals with three. Debbage, Widiez, and Marco Silva (Marshall / Cooperburg, PA), who has started every game, are tied for the most assists with three.

Head Coach Matt Perella praised the quality of this year’s team, “It's just a really balanced group, I think you can see that from our stats. We attack in different ways, we can be vertical, we can possess, the difference for me with these guys is them understanding when they should attack with pace and when we need to possess. It's a tough thing to give an exact answer on so player communication and trust still needs to develop, I believe that can make or break us.”

He continued by saying, “But ultimately the players are rising to each task, some games are prettier than others but that's the game. End of the match you want the result, we want to keep ourselves honest with our performances and stack up consistent game play. I’m really pumped for the group, they're coming together nicely and playing for each other.”

The Nor’easters return to action this Friday, June 21 against Lehigh Valley United Rush at the Beach House. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Single-game tickets for Nor'easters home games can be purchased for $10 each. Season memberships, which include the five remaining regular season home games and any potential exhibition games are $50. The easiest way to purchase tickets is to buy them online through the Nor'easters website (OceanCityFC.com). Tickets can also be purchased at the Carey Stadium gate either with cash or with a smartphone.