UTICA CITY FC DROPS FINAL HOME GAME OF THE YEAR

Utica NY - Utica City FC wrapped up its home schedule on Fan Appreciation Night with a hard-fought 5-3 loss to the Empire Strykers, as a late push in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough to overcome an early deficit. With the result, Utica now turns its attention to the final two road games of the regular season.

The opening quarter remained scoreless for much of the frame as both sides settled in, but Empire broke through late. At 14:03 of the first, Mounir Alami found the back of the net to give the Strykers a 1-0 lead. That would be the lone goal of the quarter, with Utica trailing 1-0 after one.

Utica responded early in the second quarter to even things up. Just 2:31 into the frame, Stephan Teixeira battled through multiple defenders along the left side and slipped a pass to Francesco Pagano at the top left of the box. Pagano settled it with two touches before firing a shot into the top middle of the net to tie the game 1-1. The momentum, however, swung back to Empire later in the quarter. At 10:22, Alan Perez finished off a setup from Robert Palmer to restore the Strykers’ lead at 2-1. That score held through halftime, with Utica trailing 2-1 after two quarters.

Empire extended its advantage early in the third quarter. At 3:11, Dayerson Graterol found the net to make it 3-1 Strykers. Utica pushed to respond but was unable to break through before the end of the frame, heading into the final quarter down two goals at 3-1.

The fourth quarter saw a flurry of scoring on both sides. Empire added to its lead at 7:04 when Marco Fabián scored off an assist from Alami, making it 4-1. Just over two minutes later at 9:09, Issak Somow capitalized on a pass from Graterol to push the advantage to 5-1. Utica refused to go away, pulling the goalkeeper for a sixth attacker and generating late offense. At 12:25, Sergio Pinal helped spark the comeback, battling in possession before finding Gordy Gurson, who one-timed a shot into the open left side of the net to cut the deficit to 5-2. The pressure continued, and at 14:52, Pinal again played a key role—winning a battle along the boards and feeding Jose Tavares, who finished with a one-touch into an open net to make it 5-3. Despite the late surge, time ran out on Utica’s comeback attempt, as the Strykers held on for the win.

Utica City FC will now close out the regular season on the road with two remaining games, looking to carry the momentum from its late push into the final stretch.