By Sal Nicosia

A rainy night at Carey Stadium led to a thunderous performance by the Nor’easters as they matched up against the D.C. United Under-23 team.

Even with weather conditions not cooperating for the Nor’easters friendly, the game had its fiery moments that led to a fantastic game between the two sides, which finished with the Nor'easters winning 3-0. Ocean City received goals from Chevnghn "Chevy" Walsh, Tim Ogunniyi and Nathan Regis as the nearly every player on the roster saw time with a big game scheduled for the following day.

This would be the final tune up before the Nor'easters kick off the 2016 Premier Development League (PDL) season on Sunday, May 22. They will travel south to Bel Air, Md. to take on the Baltimore Bohemians at 5 p.m. aiming to continue their undefeated all-time road record against their division rival. (MATCH PREVIEW)

Throughout the first 15 minutes of play the two sides held possession in midfield, with the occasional push on either side as a way of getting a feel for one another. The Nor’easters broke through in the 17th minute with a goal from Chevnghn “Chevy” Walsh. While his goal was unassisted, the strong play on the wing by midfielder Miguel Jamie played a vital role in the moments leading up to the scoring play.

A hot start on offense led to some impressive defense from Daneil Nimmo, Bryce Kregan and Cristobal Allendes as D.C. United pushed forward around the 30th minute. Within the 30th minute, the Nor’easters changed out all eleven players on the pitch.

The Nor’easters seemed to have a newly-found sense of unification that was not seen on a predominant level in the Blue and Orange game last week. The most noticeable way this could be seen was in warmups as players found themselves more comfortable with one another, on the pitch against D.C. the Nor’easters were clinical in their passing and creating chances on the offensive end of the field.

While offensive presence was a prevalent part of the game, this match also had its fair share of defense. Goaltender Andrew Garcia had a marvelous goal line punch out late in the first half to preserve the lead for the Nor’easters despite a strong push by United’s squad in stoppage time.

The second half got off to a fast start after multiple chances in the box and finally finding the back of the net.

The 49th minute rendered a corner kick for the Nor’easters that led to a high ball in the box only to reach the back of the net by way of a Tim Ogunniyi header.

Conditions didn't seem to improve as the second half continued on and led to a slippery pitch at Carey Stadium. Despite the rain and wind the loyal Nor’easter fans who were patient enough to brave the storm were able to witness a truly sublime pass from Raheem Somersall that found the foot of Nathan Regis. The former All-PDL player got past the defender in a foot race and lobbed a perfect chip beating the keeper and sealing a 3-0 scoreline for the Nor’easters.

The 80th minute raised the pressure as Alex Kao of D.C. United rang a laser of a shot off the post and was promptly scooped up by Tomas Correa off the goal line. The score would hold for the Nor’easters in this friendly match and would give the team a momentous win as they head into the 2016 PDL season on Sunday.

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The Nor'easters home opener is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 against Reading United. It is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Carey Stadium.

For individual tickets, click HERE. For group tickets, email tickets@oceancityfc.com, or call the ticket office at (609) 736-4849.

For more information on the Ocean City Nor'easters or to "Follow the Storm" on social media, go to www.oceancityfc.com/followthestorm or text "FOLLOWTHESTORM" to 22828 to join the "Storm Watch" e-newsletter.

The Ocean City Nor’easters is a professionally run amateur soccer club with the focus of developing, educating and promoting soccer, health and leadership. Located in Ocean City, New Jersey, “America’s Greatest Family Resort”, the Nor’easters provide quality entertainment to families throughout the Tri-State area and the thousands of visitors every summer.

The Nor’easters organization was established in 1996 and made Carey Stadium, in Ocean City, NJ, its permanent home in 2005. Competing in North America’s top amateur league, the Premier Development League (PDL), the Nor’easters provide the highest level of soccer in Southern New Jersey. The 65-team PDL is the 4th level of soccer in the United States, below the professional leagues; Major League Soccer (MLS), North American Soccer League (NASL) and United Soccer League (USL). As part of the PDL, the Nor’easters’ have the sixth-best overall record since joining the league in 2003 and have upset five professional teams in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, third-most of any amateur team in the country. Ocean City players have the ability to compete during the summer months in a professional environment while maintaining their collegiate eligibility and pursuing their academic goals.