Ocean City Nor'easters Wrap Up Soccer Campaign With Season-High Number Of Goals

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Despite finishing with more overall points than it did last year, the Ocean City Nor’easters men’s soccer team failed to make the Premier Development League (PDL) playoffs one year after advancing all the way to the national semifinals. However, with a 9-4-1 record, 28 points and a third-place finish in the PDL’s Metro-Atlantic Division, the Nor’easters have likely qualified for next year’s U.S. Open Cup.

The team capped its season with a 5-0 win over Lehigh Valley United at Carey Stadium on Wednesday night. Five goals was a season high for the Nor'easters who avenge a loss to Lehigh Valley from earlier in the season.

Ismael Noumansana (Lenoir-Rhyne / Bamako, Mali) scored twice and Fredlin "Fredinho" Mompremier (Fairleigh Dickinson / Limbe, Haiti) added one goal and two assists in the season finale. Goalie Todd Morton (Delaware / West Chester, PA) kept a clean sheet for the fourth time this season. That is the most shutouts in a single season by a Nor'easters keeper since 2012 when current Philadelphia Union keeper, John McCarthy had five. Morton finishes with a 6-3-1 record and a 0.80 goals against average.

If the format used for this year’s U.S. Open Cup is used again next year, the top 21 teams in the league will qualify for the tournament, and Ocean City will be in. The format for the 2018 U.S. Open Cup is expected to be announced in the coming months.

Ocean City advanced to the second round of this year’s tournament, falling to Harrisburg on sudden death penalty kicks. Ocean City defeated Junior Lone Star FC, 3-1, in the first round.

Modeled after England's FA Cup, the US Open Cup is the second-oldest continually-operating soccer tournament in the world and has been the national championship for the United States since it launched in 1913. The tournament is open to professional and amateur teams from Major League Soccer (MLS) to Sunday beer league teams and everything in between.

The regular season may be over for the Nor'easters but they still have one more game. On Saturday, July 15, they will host the D.C. United Under-23s in an exhibition game at the Beach House. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Patch file photo