Recap by Olivia Currier

On Sunday, July 7th, the Ocean City Nor’easters fell 2-1 to longtime rival Reading United AC at home, suffering their second loss of the season. Despite a free-kick goal by Agustin Resch (Seton Hall / Arata, Argentina) late in the match to decrease the deficit, the Nor’easters ultimately could not pull off the victory and assume a 9-2-0 record.

This is the first time the Nor’easters have lost back-to-back home games in a single season since 2008.

The match kicked off to a slow start for the Nor’easters, with Reading United dominating around two-thirds of possession time in the first half. Reading, now 5-3-2, is looking to keep their playoff ambitions alive, as they continue to push for the No. 2 spot in the division.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, a Reading forward collided with two Nor’easters defenders just outside the box, resulting in a direct free kick. Despite a 6-man wall assembled by the Nor’easters, Reading attacker Dominik Topolsky’s shot sailed just inside the far right post to put Ocean City into a 1-0 deficit.

The Nor’easters fell further behind in the 77th minute. After a series of quick passes by Reading followed by a shot on goal initially saved by goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire (West Virginia / Warrenton, VA), Reading forward Samuel Hershey knocked in the rebound in front of the net, causing the Nor’easters to trail by two goals.

In the 82nd minute, Andrew Kitch (North Carolina / Medford NJ) was tripped by Reading at the edge of the box, this time giving Ocean City a direct free kick from around 24 yards out. Agustin Resch (Seton Hall / Arata, Argentina) buried the shot just under the top-right goalpost to deliver the Nor’easters’ first and only goal of the night. This marks Resch’s team-leading 6th goal of the season, as he continues to add to the record for most goals by a defender in team history. 

The final minutes of the second half were hard-fought by the Nor’easters as they attempted to equalize, but the game ended with an unchanged final score of 2-1. Ocean City still maintains the division lead, having already clinched the Mid-Atlantic Division title and automatic playoff bid. 

Head Coach Matt Perrella acknowledged the reality of what this time in the season means for both teams,  “...those guys were playing for their lives, they need to win to make the playoffs… it’s part of the game… we’re adding new guys in the lineup, now’s the time to do it”. He went on ,“We still feel good about the group…We’re at a point where I felt like getting guys an opportunity to show themselves another time was most important”.

Meanwhile, Reading inches closer to 2nd place which is still currently held by West Chester, who have a 3 point lead.

The final match of the 2024 USL League Two regular season will be hosted by the Nor’easters on Saturday, July 13th at Carey Stadium in Ocean City NJ, home to “America’s Greatest Family Resort.” 

Single-game tickets for Nor'easters home games can be purchased for $10 each. The easiest way to purchase tickets is to buy them online through the Nor'easters website (OceanCityFC.com).