UTICA CITY FC HOSTS BALTIMORE IN HOME OPENER

Utica City FC will host three time defending champions Baltimore Blast in their home opener at the Adirondack Bank Center on brand new blue turf. Utica City will wear their black and blue kits with an opening kickoff set for 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats early for an exciting pre-show.  

Utica City opened their season last night in Harrisburg with a come from behind victory at the PA Farm Show Arena. Slav Ubiparipovic, Joey Tavernese, and Ben Ramin all scored twice and goalkeeper Andrew Coughlin made 15 saves.

Harrisburg controlled play in the first quarter. William Eskay put the Heat up 5:45 into the first quarter. Utica was outshot 7-1 in the opening 15 minutes. After halftime Utica found their footing and closed the game with three unanswered goals. 

Mauricio Salles who was absent from last night’s contest will be making his debut in a Utica shirt and will look to make an immediate impact on offense. Salles had 29 points in his 20 games with the Florida Tropic last season. 

Baltimore made a strong statement in their opening game last night against the new Mississauga MetroStars. They outshot their opponents 31-25 in the 11-3 victory. Daniel Peruzzi, Jon Orlando and Tony Donatelli all had a multi-point night. 

With both teams on the road to Utica last night this will undoubtedly be the ideal opportunity to test the blue-collar work ethic of the UCFC players. The battle of the MASL Eastern Division begins this afternoon and Utica will be looking to cash in on an electric crowd inside the Adirondack Bank Center.