April 16, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Utica City FC News Release
UTICA, NY – In a do-or-die playoff game, Utica City FC played host to the Milwaukee Wave. After an 11-8 loss in the first game of the best-of-three series, UCFC needed a win to tie the series and send it to the knockout game. After a thrilling Game 2 won by the home side (4-3), Utica was just short in the knockout game (2-1).
The game started with intensity on both ends. Milwaukee got the first chance, with Andrew Coughlin saving a shot by Derek Huffman. Coughlin came up with another save, sliding down to deny Luan Oliveira. Two minutes later, “Mr. Stretch” would stand tall again with a double save on the Wave’s Alex Sanchez and Qudus Lawal. Utica would go on a breakaway with 6:35 left in the first quarter as Taylor Walter Bond found himself running free. His shot was saved by William Banahene, continuing the stalemate.
Banahene would produce another extraordinary save just a minute later, flying high to save Cesar Correa’s shot. The netminders kept on providing saves, as with 1:06 left in the first, Coughlin saved a shot from Ben Ramin. With stellar performances from both goalkeepers, the first period would end deadlocked at 0-0.6
The second quarter continued the defensive battle, with both squads compact at the back. With 6:06 left in the first half, it was Cristhian Segura who broke the deadlock. Playing the ball off of the wall, he turned around and launched a side volley into the net for the first goal of the contest. With 2:48 left in the half, Utica’s lead would double. Segura would turn from goalscorer to provider, lofting a free kick to the corner of the box that Gordy Gurson would scissor kick past Banahene. The score would sit at 2-0 heading into halftime.
The second half would begin like the first, with both teams staying strong in the back. Coughlin would save a shot from Lawal at the 2:52 mark in the third. Just a couple of minutes later, Taylor Walter Bond would latch onto a rebound and power a shot home to make the score 3-0 Utica. After the Bond goal, the game would once again settle into a defensive battle, with UCFC aiming to limit mistakes and hold possession. Milwaukee would end Utica’s shutout hopes with a goal 12:08 into the third. Ramin found himself free and tapped in a cross from Javier Steinwascher to put the Wave on the board. That goal would be the last action of the third, with the score sitting at 3-1.
Both teams continued the fourth quarter on…