Article by George Diamond

The 2024 Nor’easters seasons saw both the team and its individual players set franchise records. 

The Storm finished as the Mid Atlantic Division champions for the third year in a row, and qualified for the playoffs for the fourth season running. Both of these feats are franchise bests, as well as being the first time in the USL-2 era that a club completes a ‘three-peat’ in the Mid-Atlantic. 

Although this season more than ever saw many different players contribute for Ocean City, a few stood out and deserve special recognition for their effort, on-field performance, and commitment to the club.

 

MVP/DPOY/OPOY: Agustin Resch

Agustin Resch (Seton Hall University/Arata, Argentina) has been named as the Nor’easter’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024 Season. The Seton Hall defender started 12 games and appeared in all 13, leading the team in minutes with 946. He assumed the role of Co-Captain down the stretch. Despite being a center back, he finished with 5 goals and 2 assists, equaling the single season goal scoring record for a defender and earning the most goal contributions on the team. His solid presence on the back-line, strong tackling ability, set-piece threat, and accurate long range passing, were invaluable assets to the team throughout the whole season. For these accomplishments, and his continuous contributions both offensively and defensively, he has also been named as the club’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.

 

Creative Player of the Year: Colin Veltri

Colin Veltri (Elon/Mays Landing, NJ) has been named as the team's Creative Player of the Year. In his second season with the club, Veltri’s role grew as he drew 9 starts and appeared in every game, totaling 722 minutes. The technical winger tied for the team lead in assists, with 3 on the year. He also scored two goals, including a highlight-reel worthy strike against Lehigh Valley that hit both posts before going in. The incoming Elon transfer is an eyecatcher on the field as he puts his skill to good use when beating opposing defenders or pulling off flashy backheel passes. 

 

Breakthrough Player of the Year: Arthur Widiez

Arthur Widiez (Florida Atlantic Univ./Èze, France) has been named as the team's Breakthrough Player of the Year. Widiez returned to the club after only appearing in 4 matches during the 2022 season. This year, Widiez was a Co-Captain. He appeared in every game, making 11 starts, and playing a total of 817 minutes. The Frenchman added 1 goal and 1 assist, both in the opening match. His tenacity, work-rate, and leadership lifted those around him and raised the level of play when he was on the field.

 

Young Player of the Year: Theo Da Silva

Theo Da Silva (Rider Univ./São Paulo, Brazil) has been named as the Young Player of the Year. Da Silva began the season on the bench but worked hard to earn a starting spot, starting 6 games after only appearing as a substitute in the first 3. He developed an eye for goal, finishing with 3 tallies to his name and added an assist, including a 1g/1a performance away to rivals Reading. Ultimately, the Brazilian midfielder would go on to appear in all 12 regular season games. His talent and effort, both on and off the field, were noticed as he will transfer to Rider University this fall to compete at the NCAA D-1 level. 

 

President’s Award: Maruki Kawahara

In his second year with the Nor’easters Maruki Kawahara (Univ. Omaha-Nebraska/Tochigi, Japan) again showed an unwavering commitment and dedication to the game, his teammates, and the club. He resumed his place at the heart of midfield, appearing in 12 games and starting 11. In total, he played 825 minutes, good for the second highest on the team. Additionally, he scored his first goals for the club, both from the PK spot against RCNJ. Kawahara has been a rock for the Nor’easters over the past two seasons, as well as one of the team's leaders. For these reasons, he has earned the President's Award.

The President's Award is given to a player who represents the club at a high level, on and off the field.

Fans should view Nor'easter social media accounts to see additional graphics and accompanying video content for the 2024 Team Awards and the forth-coming 2024 Season Review here:

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