BY LESLEY GRAHAM
The Ocean City High School boys soccer team defeated visiting Lower Cape May on Thursday afternoon, 5-0.
The win brings the Red Raiders’ record to 7-1, while Lower Cape May drops to 5-3.
The scoring was even across the board, with six players recording a goal or an assist for Ocean City. John Lindsay and Reed Lindsay, who are not related, both had a goal and an assist on the afternoon.
After suffering their first loss of the season to a tough St. Augustine Prep squad, the Red Raiders were looking to step up and respond.
This was the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Ocean City defeating the Tigers 3-0 the first time.
Within the opening 40 minutes of play, Ocean City was able to find the back of the net on three different occasions, dominating the pace of play.
Freshman Kai Lindsay got the scoring started with 10 minutes ticked off the clock. Less than two minutes later, John Lindsay netted another goal for the Red Raiders on a pass from teammate Ori Levy-Smith.
Ocean City was finding its offensive groove, connecting passes and seeing the open player. Senior Reed Lindsay added the final score of the first half on a beautiful outside kick.
As the second half got underway, the Red Raiders added two more goals from Ben Steiger (23:40 left to play) and Wade Hudak (17:14 remaining).
Ocean City Head Coach Aaron Bogushefsky was proud of the effort and intensity his squad displayed.
“Coming off a really tough loss the other night, we had to respond and we did just that,” Bogushefsky said after the game. “Right before we went out, I asked the team what is Ocean City’s response to the last game? Go show me, don’t tell me.”
The Red Raiders were able to use that motivation to score early and often.
“Right from the jump we played well. We were able to score three on them in half the time it took us to score three the last time we played them. We will use that motivation as we continue this season,” Bogushefsky said.
Ocean City has one remaining regular season game and then will have its sights set on postseason. The postseason will look a bit different this year, within the realm of COVID-19 protocols, but Bogushefsky stressed the point that any chance to play this season is one to be grateful for.
