UCFC FALLS SHORT IN FINAL GAME OF 2025

Utica City FC fell 5–2 to the Baltimore Blast on Friday night in a game that swung on a decisive stretch in the middle frames. Baltimore opened the scoring early in the first period at 4:58 when Nico Williams finished a chance set up by Oumar Sylla to give the Blast a 1–0 lead. UCFC responded in the second period, as Willie Spurr (#21) worked the ball off the boards to Barbaro Shelier (#99), who fought through pressure, cut the ball across his body, and buried a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner at 2:43 to tie the match 1–1. The Blast regained control late in the second when Wellington Bramusse scored at 15:00, sending Baltimore into halftime up 2–1. Baltimore then broke the game open early in the third with goals from Jonatas Melo (2:57) and Kevaughn Frater (4:09), pushing the lead to 4–1, before Nico Williams added his second of the night early in the fourth. UCFC showed resilience late, as Mehrshad Ahmadi (#49) fired a shot from the right side that produced a rebound, allowing Shelier to clean up the loose ball with two quick touches for his second goal of the night at 14:40. Despite the late push and a two-goal performance from Shelier, the early third-period surge proved too much to overcome as Baltimore secured the 5–2 victory.