Nor’easters Continue to Sign Talented Youngsters

OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Nor’easters have become well known for introducing young talent and allowing them to develop on the field. This 2012 PDL season will be no exception. The Nor’easters have improved their recruitment through new Head Coach Tim Oswald who has looked for youth to help improve an already hungry and talented Nor’easters squad.
The latest group of players to put pen to paper and commit to the respected franchise are 5 NSCAA Regional All-Americans for D1 and D3 levels and a JUCO All-American. Forwards Frank Tweneboa, JP Correa and Stephen Baker, midfielders Steven Jakubowski and Jason Plumhoff and experienced goalkeeper Timothy VanLiew.
The youngster Frank Tweneboa plays out of Mercer County Community College where he picked up a JUCO All-American Team selection and as a member of PDL rivals Reading United U20s was named to the USL Super 20 All-Tournament Team. Coach Tim Oswald told us about Frank’s playing abilities and dreams.
“Frank has the attributes and intangibles that most players crave,” Coach Oswald says. “He has sensational ability and a distinct demeanor on the pitch but is still so young and growing as a player. He has had success at every level…youth, academy, college…and we hope that he finally peaks at the PDL level as he hopes to move ahead and sign a pro contract.”
JP Correa has been a revelation at Rutgers University earning a NSCAA Regional All-American, Big East All-Rookie Team, ESPN First Team All-State award and many more high profile accolades. Coach Oswald knows that his experience will benefit the team and all the youngsters around him.
“JP’s ability is a rare find these days….he can pretty much do what he wants, when he wants, and he does it well,” Coach Oswald says. “He can combine, take people on and finish. It’s very clear to me as to why he was such a highly touted recruit within the ACC, Big East, and Pac 10.”
Upenn’s Stephen Baker is a forward of some promise, already noticed as a NSCAA regional All-American freshman he started all 13 games scoring 5 with 4 assists. Stephen also picked up TopDrawersoccer.com National All Rookie Team and SoccerAmerica.com All-Rookie Team selections as his potential is there for all to see.
“Steve is just an out and out pure finisher. He can score goals in bunches and has the knack that many special forwards have to just find the frame. He consistently creates opportunities in the final 3rd and that shows with the 13 goals he has scored in an IVY league program in just over 30 games. We expect him to come down the shore and immediately produce.”
Midfielder Steven Jakubowski has numerous awards to his name, playing at the solid Long Island University program, including All-Northeast Conference first team, NSCAA Scholar All-American, 2nd Team All-NEC and NEC Fall Academic Honor roll to name a few.
Coach Oswald explains why he likes Jakubowski so much; “Steve is a prototype target forward. Big, strong, can play with his back to goal, and can take people on. Over his 4 years at LIU, he managed to collect 20 goals in an array of attacking position in Coach Kosnecky’s shape.”
Jason Plumhoff played in 15 games with 13 straight starts before sustaining season-ending injury. During that time he scored 7 goals and had 6 assists, making him the 2nd highest Atlantic 10 assist maker. This successful year saw him pick up All-Atlantic 10 Rookie team and NSCAA Regional All-American selections. Being bought up in Germany Jason has a great understanding of the game and was part of the great Bayern Munich youth setup.
“Jason is the kind of player that you watch over and over again….and he is the same player….consistently consistent, yet polished, on point, and smart in all facets of the game,” Coach Oswald tells us. “I feel that he will be a huge asset this summer and we hope to have him until he graduates from LaSalle”.
Finally, Timothy VanLiew has worked with Coach Oswald at Rutgers-Camden and now the senior is giving his experience to the Nor’easters. His awards speak for themselves and are too many to mention, here are a few, twice named the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year and earned NJAC First Team honors, NSCAA South Atlantic Regional All-American and D3soccer.com All-American. and has played more minutes in goal (5,861:13), collected more wins (37) and faced more shots (864) than any goalie in program history.
“Tim capped off his career in style as he helped lead RUC to an NCAA Elite 8 appearance and a post season Top 5 Ranking,” says Coach Oswald. “Having played against some of the top squads in all of D3 in each of his 4 years as a starter in Camden, we feel the opportunity for him to experience and compete at the PDL stage will lead to pushing his career forward in a positive direction. His leadership on the field, shot stopping ability, and range will surely make him a valuable asset in our GK core.”
Future player announcements are on the way, visit www.OceanCityFC.com, LIKE us on www.facebook.com/oceancityfc or FOLLOW us on www.twitter.com/oceancityfc for all the latest news.