The Ocean City Nor’easters had one of their toughest tests of the 2023 USL League Two season on Tuesday night, and they passed with flying colors. The Nor’easters took sole possession of first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division with a 2-0 road win over West Chester United at YSC Sports in Wayne, Pa.

WATCH: OCEAN CITY vs. WEST CHESTER UNITED HIGHLIGHTS

Ryan Becher (UCLA / Hummelstown, PA) scored his first Ocean City goal in the first half and Sander Roed (Louisville / Tranby, Norway) added his team-leading fourth goal of the campaign to account for the scoring. Goalkeeper Stefano Camerlengo (Missouri-Kansas City / Pescara, Italy) earned his third win of the season and his second clean sheet.

Entering the game, both teams were tied atop the division with a 3-0-1 record. When the dust settled, Ocean City improved to 4-0-1 and has a three point lead over WCU.

The Nor’easters also set a new club record by extending their regular season unbeaten streak to 20 games. This breaks the previous mark of 19 which began in 2004 and ended in 2005. The Storm also added to their club record road unbeaten streak, which now sits at 18 games.

The last time Ocean City lost a regular season game was on July 9, 2021 when they lost to West Chester United at Carey Stadium (“The Beach House”), 2-1.

"This was a big moment for the belief and culture that the players can feel in what were doing here," said Nor'easters head coach Matt Perrella. "Tonight was a great team performance and we had a lot of guys going the distance. I was really proud of the effort from the team and morale our coaches fed into the group. Good bounce back [from last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Reading United] and keeping a clean sheet that we can hopefully ride going forward."

Ocean City created the first chance of the game in the 13th minute when Alessandro Arlotti (Harvard / San Remo, Italy) received the ball after the Storm intercepted the ball in midfield. Arlotti played it off to Roed who fired a shot that was saved by WCU goalkeeper Brady McSwain.

In the 28th minute, Arlotti won a corner kick which Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA) delivered. He lofted a ball to the far post where Josh Jones (Louisville / Hatfield, PA) headed the ball down and Becher deflected it wide of the target from close range.

Three minutes later, West Chester created their first chance when Ryan Jammes dribbled in from the right wing and launched a left-footed shot that was saved by Camerlengo.

Ocean City would find the first goal in the 35th minute when Brad Dildy (Univ. of Charlotte / San Antonio, TX) would receive a ball on the left wing and immediately play it into the middle of the box. He drove it low and found the feet of a cutting Ryan Becher who deflected it past the keeper. Becher is following in the footsteps of his cousin Simon who was the Nor’easters’ leading scorer and Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. With the goal, Ryan does something his cousin, who currently plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS, never accomplished: scoring a goal against West Chester United.

West Chester nearly found an equalizer before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Jack Jasinski received a through ball into the right side of the box. He was able to get a shot off but Camerlengo denied his shot from a tight angle.

Both teams would trade some solid chances in the second half but the Nor’easters would put the game away late. In the 89th minute, Maruki Kawahara (Nebraka-Omaha / Tochigi, Japan) chipped a ball forward to Arlotti on the left wing. Last year’s team MVP would dribble down the flank and reach the box and played a low driving pass to the opposite side of the box where he would find Roed who buried a shot through a couple of defenders and into the back of the net.

The Nor’easters have played four of their first five matches away from home. Their next game will be a welcome return to the Beach House when Ocean City hosts Lehigh Valley United on Saturday. All home games kickoff at 7 p.m. at America’s Greatest Family Resort in Ocean City, N.J. You can buy your tickets online here.