Ocean City Nor'easters News Release -- www.oceancityfc.com
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
OCEAN CITY, N.J. -- The Ocean City Nor’easters return to New York as they take on the Long Island Rough Riders one Wednesday night in a big game in the PDL's Mid Atlantic playoff race. This is the only meeting between the two teams this season, and it is sure to be a great and competitive game.
Long Island comes into the game in a confident mood after winning four of their last six games, going 4-1-1 in that span. They currently sit fouth in the Mid-Atlantic Division and still have a great chance to qualify for the playoffs come the end of the season. The Rough Riders last game was a 1-1 tie with Reading United, allowing the club to recover some of its impetus after a 1-0 defeat to the Jersey Express on June 20.
The history between the two clubs has seen the most even match-up in Ocean City's history, with the Nor’easters just in front with a 3-2-2 record, and the goal differential in those seven games being 12-12. Always exciting and full of goals, this game will be unpredictable. The two clubs first played in a U.S. Open Cup Qualifier back in 2001, but did not compete in the same division until 2008. However, the Nor’easters always relish a visit to Long Island, having scored six goals in three games at St. Anthony’s.
"Things are definitely starting to take shape in the Mid Atlantic division as all teams are 10 games or so in," Nor'easters coach Tim Oswald said. "It's very clear that Long Island is one of the top teams in the league and in order for us to be considered in that class with them, we have to play at a very high level for 90 minutes.
"The Rough Riders have a rich history and are on a bit of a hot streak right now, while riding a PDL Final Four finish last year with a similar team back this year. This is going to be one of the toughest road games to date for us this season and I know our boys will be up for this game. Many of our boys have been playing their best soccer to date individually, but we have been off a bit as a team the last few matches, but we still have managed to collect some wins and points in the process. Hopefully, we can put together our best 90 Wednesday night."
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