UTICA CITY DROPS ROAD CONTEST AT BALTIMORE

Towson, MD – Utica City FC kicked off a busy St. Patrick’s Day weekend with a road matchup against the Baltimore Blast at TU Arena. Despite a late push, UCFC couldn’t overcome an early deficit, falling 9-6 to Baltimore.

The game started on a rough note for Utica, as the Blast jumped out to a quick two-goal lead within the first four minutes, courtesy of Kevaughn Frater and Juan Pereira. However, with 25 seconds left in the first quarter, Nilton De Andrade capitalized on a power play—curling in a shot with the outside of his foot to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the second.

The second quarter remained scoreless for 13 minutes before Meny Silva tied the game, heading in a rebound after a Julian Rodriguez save. Baltimore responded just 20 seconds later, as Mike Deasel slotted home a rebound off a save from Andrew Coughlin. But UCFC had the final say before halftime, executing a flawless set-piece as Mehrshad Ahmadi found Silva at the back post for a simple tap-in. The teams entered the break knotted at 3-3.

Baltimore wasted no time regaining control in the second half, with Chad Poarch scoring less than a minute into the third quarter. A Geo Alves blue card gave the Blast a power play, and Oumar Sylla took advantage, scoring at the 3:11 mark. Just four minutes later, Sylla struck again, extending Baltimore’s lead to 6-3. A Nelson Santana blue card led to another power-play goal, this time from Ricardo Diegues. Utica finally broke the Blast’s momentum at 13:20 when Silva completed his hat trick with a powerful strike, trimming the deficit to 7-4 heading into the fourth.

Three minutes into the final quarter, Ahmadi fired home a goal to bring UCFC within two. Moments later, Juan Alava finished off a perfect counterattack, making it 7-6 and setting up a tense finish. Pushing for the equalizer, Utica gambled with an empty net, but Diegues made them pay with his second goal of the night. Pereira sealed the win with another empty-netter, securing a 9-6 victory for Baltimore.

Utica City FC continues its St. Patrick’s Day weekend action at home tomorrow against the Harrisburg Heat. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. EST—tickets are available at uticacityfc.com/tickets.