The Ocean City Nor’easters took on Lionsbridge FC from Townebank Stadium in Newport News, Virginia. This was the Nor’easters’ fourth trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in franchise history. The game started late due to the extreme heat.
Ocean City got off to a good start in the first half. There was confusion in the box for Lionsbridge FC and Colin Veltri got the loose ball and scored for a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
Then, in the 18th minute, Alessandro Arlotti and Nick Pariano put pressure on the goalkeeper before the ball deflected off Pariano who passed it to Arlotti. Arlotti passed the ball back to Pariano and shot it into the empty net. It was now 2-0 Ocean City. It was Arlotti’s ninth assist of the season.
Then, Lionsbridge came back to tie the game. In the 31st minute, Adam Kirkwood headed the ball into the net that made it 2-1, and Christian Hatley curls the ball inside the near post and into the net that made it 2-2 in the 34th minute. The game remained tied 2-2 at halftime.
There were no goals scored in the second half and the game went into extra time. Lionsbridge FC scored on a corner kick when Sam Hall headed the ball into the back of the net for a 3-2 lead in the 96th minute. Then, they put the game away in the 111th minute on a goal by Andrew Bennett.
The Nor’easters 2023 season came to an end with a 4-2 loss to Lionsbridge FC. Ocean City fought hard in this game. They have a lot to be proud of this season and use this loss as motivation heading into the 2024 season.
