Nor'easters take on Evergreen FC in longest road trip of season

Without leading scorer, Ocean City looks to bounce back after midweek loss

The Ocean City Nor’easters are looking to bounce back after a tough loss in their second match of the season when they make their longest road trip of the season (approximately 230 miles) on Saturday. Aiming to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to the Jersey Express, the Nor'easters head to Leesburg, Virginia to take on Evergreen FC (formerly known as the DC United Under-23s).

Through two games, the Nor’easters have accumulated three points (1-1-0). Evergreen FC has a few more games under its belt as the club sits in third place in the Mid Atlantic Division with a 1-2-1 record. In four games, the Hammers have scored only three times, while the Nor’easters have found the back of the net five times in two fewer games.

The Nor’easters' top scorer, Miguel Jaime, will miss the trip to Virginia after receiving a red card late in the game against the Jersey Express. Jaime scored once in the season opener against the Baltimore Bohemians and scored twice against the Express before getting sent off late in the contest on Wednesday night.

The club has several talented forwards that are working hard in training to earn Jaime’s spot for this match. Whoever steps into the starting XI to replace him will have big shoes to fill.

These two teams have met seven times over the years, but under a number of different names. The club's original team name was the Northern Virginia Royals and the first time the two teams met was on July 4, 2004 when Ocean City (then known as the South Jersey Barons) defeated the Royals 3-1. On the surface, not a noteworthy result until you consider that it was a rather unique bit of scheduling. That year, the Royals were on the Barons' regular season schedule despite being a professional team in the USL's Pro Soccer League.

The Nor’easters have been the dominant side in this fixture with a record of 5-1-1. They were unbeaten in the first five meetings (4-0-1), but Evergreen finally got their first win last year under the name DC United U23s, before changing their name to the Evergreen FC Hammers this past offseason.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Evergreen Sportsplex in Leesburg, Virginia. Check the Nor'easters Twitter account @OCNoreasters for in-game updates.

Store Banner

Store Banner