UTICA RIGGIES COME UP SHORT IN THRILLER
Utica, NY – After scoring seven unanswered goals in a thrilling 10-6 victory last night, the Utica Riggies donned the white and red once again for the second match of a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Wave. Despite a spirited comeback effort, the Riggies came up just short, falling 6-5.
The first 15 minutes of the game were relatively quiet. William Banahene made five saves in the opening nine minutes, denying Kelvin Oliveira and Vini Dantas multiple times. The lone goal of the quarter came just past the 10-minute mark, with Shawn Azcueta scoring unassisted after a saved shot from Javier Steinwascher created a rebound opportunity.
The pace picked up in the second quarter. Two and a half minutes in, Ricardo Carvalho capitalized on a Utica miscue to double Milwaukee’s lead. The Riggies responded shortly after with a composed finish from Dantas, who found himself wide open in the Milwaukee defensive zone. With 10 minutes left in the first half, the score stood at 2-1 Milwaukee. The Wave extended their lead at 10:32 when Javier Steinwascher scored off a bouncing ball assisted by Breno Oliveira. The Wave entered halftime with a 3-1 lead, mirroring their two-goal cushion from the first game of the weekend series.
The third quarter erupted with action. Mario Alvarez scored just 37 seconds into the half for Milwaukee, but Geo Alves responded for Utica 40 seconds later. Now trailing by two, Kelvin Oliveira notched his first goal of the game at the 4:52 mark, pulling the Riggies within one. Five minutes later, Jayce Berger scored his third goal of the season to level the game at 4-4. After successfully killing a Juan Alava penalty, both teams entered the fourth quarter deadlocked.
With everything to play for in the final frame, Milwaukee struck first. Carvalho scored just 67 seconds into the quarter to give the Wave a 5-4 lead. Both defenses then tightened up, turning away shot after shot. Nelson Santana’s effort was cleared off the line by Javier Steinwascher, and Utica opted for an extra attacker in the final minutes. With just 45 seconds left, Dantas delivered a perfect pass to a wide-open Nilton De Andrade at the back post to tie the game at 5-5. However, heartbreak followed for the Riggies. With only 1.4 seconds remaining, Andrew Coughlin’s turnover led to Alex Steinwascher’s long-distance winner, sealing the game for Milwaukee.
The Riggies branding will now take a back seat as Utica City FC returns to action next weekend with two matches in Texas—one against the Outlaws and another against the Sidekicks. UCFC will be back at home on Friday, February 7th, to take on the Baltimore Blast. Kickoff is set for 7:05 PM, and tickets are available at uticacityfc.com/tickets.