UCFC HOME OPENER THRILLS, UTICA FALLS IN OVERTIME

Utica, NY - Utica City FC’s home opener at the Adirondack Bank Center was a dramatic, high-scoring thriller, but despite a strong offensive showing, Utica City fell 8–7 in overtime to the Kansas City Comets.

The first quarter opened with steady midfield battles and strong defensive stands on both sides before Utica broke through late. At 13:44, Mehrshad Ahmadi’s initial shot off a Sergio Pinal cross was stopped by the Comets goalkeeper, but the rebound fell perfectly for Barbaro Shelier, who buried it to put UCFC ahead 1–0. Utica carried that lead into the first break, controlling much of the possession and tempo.

Utica erupted early in the second quarter, striking twice in the first 90 seconds. Only 19 seconds in, Thayssan Santos intercepted a pass near midfield and sent a long ball ahead to Gordy Gurson, who fired a rocket into the upper-left corner for a 2–0 lead. Just over a minute later at 1:27, Sergio Pinal played a clever ball off the boards on the left side, where Willie Spurr met it with a quick one-touch finish in the box to extend the lead to 3–0. Kansas City responded to stop the momentum at 4:09 when Zach Reget converted to make it 3–1, and at 12:16 Henry Ramirez cut the Utica lead to 3–2 heading into halftime, capitalizing on a setup from Stefan Mijatovic.

The third quarter continued the back-and-forth nature of the night. Utica struck first again when, at 7:04, Willie Spurr rolled a short free-kick pass to Thayssan Santos, who took one touch and placed a perfectly measured shot into the bottom-right corner to push the lead to 4–2. Kansas City stayed within reach, however, as Jacob Garza found the back of the net at 10:01 to make it 4–3 after three quarters of play.

The fourth quarter delivered the wildest stretch of the match. At 2:53, Pinal danced around defenders at midfield before slipping a through ball ahead to Gurson, who finished in one touch to restore a two-goal cushion at 5–3. Dominic Francis answered for Kansas City at 4:35 to trim it to 5–4, but Utica again provided a response—this time at 10:09, when a rebound in the box led to a battle won by Spurr, who fed Geo Alves for a composed one-touch shot into the bottom-left corner to make it 6–4. Kansas City then turned to the sixth attacker and mounted a furious comeback. At 12:47, Rian Marques scored to cut the lead to 6–5, but just 11 seconds later, at 12:58, Pinal restored the two-goal advantage by settling a rebound off a Santos free kick and tucking it into the bottom-right corner for a 7–5 advantage. The Comets answered immediately. Marques scored again at 13:08 to make it 7–6, and at 13:52 Francis completed the rally, tying the game 7–7 in the final minute and forcing overtime.

The extra period lasted only 24 seconds before Kansas City completed its comeback. After a quick buildup, Marques struck again—his third of the night—to lift the Comets to an 8–7 overtime victory and spoil Utica City’s opening-night celebration.

Utica City FC returns to action on Sunday, December 14 at 3 p.m., once again hosting the Kansas City Comets. Tickets for the rematch are available now at ucfctickets.com.