The Ocean City Nor’easters (7-0-5, 26 points) hosted the Philadelphia Lone Star FC (3-5-2, 11 points) on Friday night from Carey Stadium for the third and final meeting of the season. The Nor’easters won the first two meetings and were looking for the sweep.
Ocean City came into this game with three straight draws which extended their regular season unbeaten streak to 26 games dating back to July 9, 2021, against West Chester United SC. In addition, they entered this game two points ahead of West Chester United SC for first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division and had a six-game winning streak against Philadelphia.
Ocean City took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when Jack Sarkos passed the ball to Sander Roed. Roed made a man miss before firing the ball from the left side into an open net for his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
In the 41st minute, Jack Sarkos almost had a goal from the right side but he shot it wide right of the net. The Nor’easters led 1-0 at halftime.
In the 57th minute, the Nor’easters extended their lead to 2-0 when Sander Roed makes a man miss near the corner and passes the ball to Nick Pariano. Pariano kicked it into the net for his second goal of the season. It was also Roed’s second assist of the season. In the 73rd minute, Francis Early scored for Philadelphia. It was now 2-1.
Five minutes later, Ocean City got the goal back when Alessandro Arlotti runs down the right side of the field before turning around and shooting the ball into the net for a 3-1 lead. It was his second goal of the season. With the goal, Arlotti moves into a tie for eighth place in the club’s all-time scoring list.
In addition, he is now the fifth player in team history to have double-digit points in goals and assists, joining Byron Carmichael (2004-11), Ruben Mingo (2003-06), Frank Tweneboa (2012-15), and Ryan Heins (2003-07) The Nor’easters held on to a 3-1 win. They win the season series 3-0.
With the win, the Nor’easters extend their regular season unbeaten streak to 27 games and have a five-point lead for first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division. Sander Roed was named the man of the match, and Ocean City’s home unbeaten streak is now at 12 games.
Ocean City will not have a lot of time for rest. They return to Carey Stadium on Sunday against Lehigh Valley United for the final time of the season at 7 pm. Tickets for all Ocean City home games can be purchased at OceanCityFC.com.
