UTICA, BALTIMORE LOCK HORNS IN EASTERN DIVISION SHOWDOWN

Tonight's Game: Utica City FC looks to dull the Baltimore Blast in the final home game of 2018. Kickoff at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 2 p.m.

Last Game: Utica City defeated the Harrisburg Heat 10-5 to stay undefeated at the Adirondack Bank Center. Five different players scored throughout the game to get the win, including Bo Jelovac who found the back of the net four times.

Head-to-Head: This is the third meeting between these two teams. In the first meeting, Utica City beat Baltimore 5-2, with three unanswered goals to secure the win. Four different players scored with Lucio Gonzaga notching two. In the second meeting, Baltimore squeaked by Utica with a score of 7-6. Utica had 25 shots against Baltimore's goalkeeper William Vanzela who posted a .760 save percentage. While Andrew Coughlin had 11 shots against him and finished with a .455 save percentage.

Scouting the Blast: The Blast are currently 3-1 on the season and are second to Utica in the Eastern standings. Nine different players have multiple goals for the Blast, including a defenseman Adriano Dos Santos who has three goals on the season. Andrew Hoxie and leads the team with four goals and Tony Donatelli and Jonatas Melo each have seven points. In their last game against the Orlando SeaWolves, Juan Pereira scored two goals. William Vanzela earned a .857 save percentage.

Undefeated at Home: Both the Utica City FC and Baltimore Blast are undefeated on their home turf. Both teams have lost their only games on the road, the Blast’s only loss being against Utica City FC at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Helping Foot: Joey Tavernese is currently fourth in the MASL for points with 12 and tied for third with six assists. Matching his six assists are six goals on the season. Each first home goal for Tavernese has come with a unique celebration that has become a staple at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Scoring Won’t Come Easy: Baltimore Blasts’ goalkeeper William Vanzela is MASL Week 4 Leading Save PCT. in third place with .774. Utica managed to sneak in six goals in their last matchup but expect a tight defensive battle in today’s matchup.

Scoring Runs Deep: Twelve players have at least one goals for Utica City and ten of those twelve have multiple. Three different players have six goals on the season including Nate Bourdeau, Joey Tavernese and Slavisa Ubiparipovic. Bo Jelovac put up a four-game goal in the last match before the Christmas break.

Next Game: Utica City FC stays home to take on the Milwaukee Wave next Sunday January 6 at 2 p.m.