Photo: Courtesy of Glenn Riegel/Reading United

Reading United return home to Albright College’s Shirk Stadium for a Premier Development League match against Mid-Atlantic Division rivals, the Jersey Express on Father’s Day, Sunday June 18th at 4 pm.

2012 records 

Reading United:  6-0-1 (1st place in PDL Mid-Atlantic Division)

Jersey Express:  5-1-2 (3rd place in PDL Mid Atlantic Division)

Game notes

United come into this divisional showdown with Jersey on a six match winning streak.  Reading are one of four unbeaten teams in the 73 team Premier Development League  Wednesday night Reading went on the road to Drew University and took three points from New Jersey Rangers FC thanks to two very late second half goals from Deshorn Brown and Pedro Ribeiro.  Reading keeper Emmanuel Martin posted his third clean sheet of the season.  United are led by leading goal scorer Brown, who has 5 goals and an assist and a very stout defense led by captain Ged Quinn and Greg Cochrane which has yielded just four goals, the lowest in the division.

The Express enter the match in good form, winning their last four matches.  They trail Reading by two points, but have played one more match than United.  In their last match, Jersey used two rapid fire goals a mere one minute apart to dispatch the Westchester Flames, 2-0.  Like United, the Jersey defense is very stingy having allowed only five goals in eight matches, second fewest in the division.  Jersey’s leading goal scorer is Joseph Ovenseri who has found the net for the Express five times.  No scouting report of the Jersey Express would be complete without mentioning their keeper, Rafeal Diaz, his five clean sheets and his miniscule 0.428 goals against average.

2011 Season head-to-head results

June 23rd:  Jersey  1 – 3  Reading (at NJIT Stadium)

July 16th:   Reading 0 – 0  Jersey (at Reading’s Don Thomas Stadium)

July 26th:   Reading 0 – 1  Jersey (at Reading’s Don Thomas Stadium, PDL Eastern Conference playoffs)

In their first meeting, Reading went on the road and used goals from Christian Barreiro, Lasse Sohrweide and Sean Peckham to defeat the Express, 3-1.

In the return match at Exeter’s Don Thomas Stadium, Jersey’s Ryan Meara and Reading’s Brian Holt matched each other save for save and both teams walked away frustrated with a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting between the division rivals came in the first round of the PDL Eastern Conference Playoff.  Ryan Meara only needed to make one save and posted his second consecutive clean sheet versus United.  A 50th minute Jersey tally by Robert Youhill was enough to usher a very talented United side out of the playoffs.