The Ocean City Nor’easters (6-0-5, 23 points) returned to Carey Stadium on Friday night to start a four-game homestand against Real Central New Jersey (2-5-3, 9 points) for the third and final time of the season.
The Nor’easters came into this game 1-0-1 against Real Central New Jersey this year. In addition, the Nor’easters put their 25-game regular season unbeaten streak on the line, with 21 of them coming on the road.
In the 14th minute, Ocean City took a 1-0 lead when Alessandro Arlotti put a move on an RCNJ defender before making a pass to Jamie Davis near the left post. Davis chipped the ball into the net for the goal. It was his second goal of the season and the seventh assist for Arlotti for the year.
The Nor’easters came close to adding another goal in the 32nd minute when Sander Roed passed the ball off to Colin Veltri. Veltri took a shot at the net but it hits off the crossbar. Ocean City led 1-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Alessandro Arlotti dribbled the ball into the box in the 54th minute before shooting it but it missed the net. Late in the second half, Real Central New Jersey tied the game 1-1 in the 87th minute by Hale Lombard after RCNJ launched a counter attack before Lombard curled the ball into the net. Ocean City made one last attempt to get the lead back but the final whistle blew and for the third game in a row. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
The last time Ocean City had three consecutive draws dates back to 2011. However, they extend their regular season unbeaten streak to 26 games dating back to 2021. In addition, Ocean City’s home unbeaten streak is now at 11 games, which is tied for the second-longest streak in club history. The Nor’easters have a five-point lead in the Mid-Atlantic Standings over West Chester United SC. Ocean City wins the season series 1-0-2. They are now 5-0-3 against RCNJ.
The four-game homestand continues for the Nor’easters next Friday against Philadelphia Lone Star FC for the third and final meeting of the season at 7 pm. Tickets for all Ocean City home games can be purchased at OceanCityFC.com.
