UTICA CLOSES OUT REGULAR SEASON AT ORLANDO
Tonight’s Game: Utica City FC wraps up the regular season with a road tilt against the Orlando SeaWolves. Kickoff at Silver Spurs Arena is at 7:35 p.m.
Last Game: Utica City battled back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter before being defeated by the Baltimore Blast 5-4 in a shootout. Freddy Moojen scored two goals for Utica, while Lucio Gonzaga and Nate Bourdeau also chipped in goals. Andrew Coughlin made six saves on 10 shots.
Head-To-Head: This is only second meeting between Utica and Orlando this season. City took the lone matchup 10-6 at the Adirondack Bank Center back on January 27.
Scouting the SeaWolves: Orlando comes in with a record of 8-14 and sits in fourth place in the South Central Division. They most recently lost to the Milwaukee Wave 12-2 this past Sunday. Gordy Gurson leads the offense with 53 points, followed by Osvaldo Rojas with 30 points. Rainer Hauss is the top goalkeeper with a record of 5-6, a 5.94 goals-against average, and a .717 save percentage.
Controlling Their Destiny: Utica City has a chance to do something no team has done in nine years. If City defeats Orlando, they will claim the regular season Eastern Division title as they hold the goal-differential tiebreaker over Baltimore.
Shoot For The Mooj: Freddy Moojen has been on a tear. Moojen is coming off a three-point game against Baltimore back on March 31 and is on a four-game point streak, picking up eight points (4-4-8) in that timespan. Overall, the forward has 23 points (12-11-23) in 16 games this season.
Feel The Power: Utica’s power play continues to run like a well-oiled machine. City has scored at least one power play goal in four of the last five games, including two games with two or more power play goals. In total, they are 7-11 on the man advantage in the past five games. Overall, City’s power play ranks fourth in the MASL at 52.6%.
Road Warriors: Utica will need a big road effort to come away with a win tonight. City has played well on the road this season and has won four of their last five games away from the Adirondack Bank Center. The numbers favor Utica as well, as Utica holds a 7-4 record on the road while Orlando sports a 3-7 record at home. Additionally, City has outscored opponents 70-56 on the road.
Next Game: Utica City takes on the Baltimore Blast in Game One of the Eastern Division Championship round of the MASL Ron Newman Cup Playoffs. Kickoff at SECU Arena is at 6 p.m. The game can be viewed on Eleven Sports.