Utica City Falls to Baltimore, Rematch Tomorrow at Home
Published on January 18, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Utica City FC News Release
Utica City FC faced an uphill battle at TU Arena as the Baltimore Blast jumped out to an early lead in a physical, fast-paced matchup that ended in a 12-7 loss. Baltimore opened the scoring at 3:13 of the first quarter on a goal by Jonatas Melo, added tallies at 6:13 and 12:07, and closed the frame with Melo's second goal at 14:58 to take a 4-0 lead after one.
Utica City responded early in the second quarter when Kyle Gehnrich capitalized on a defensive takeaway and completed a full-field give-and-go at 1:07 to make it 4-1. Baltimore answered with three goals at 3:20, 6:07, and 7:40, with Barbaro Shelier interrupting the run just eight seconds after the Blast's sixth goal by finishing a perfectly executed kickoff play at 6:15. After a Baltimore power-play goal at 11:21, Utica City closed the half strong as Geo Alves buried a back-post finish off a Juan Alava pass at 12:37, sending the teams to halftime with Baltimore leading 8-3.
The Blast extended the lead early in the third quarter with goals at 0:12 and 0:56, but Utica City continued to push back. Alves scored again at 2:45 off a quick Shelier feed, and Shelier followed with a goal of his own at 5:03 after goalkeeper Brian Wilkin sparked the attack. Wilkin added a highlight-reel assist later in the quarter, launching a full-length throw to Willie Spurr, who finished at 13:44 to make it 10-6 heading into the fourth.
Baltimore added a goal at 6:32 of the final quarter, but Shelier capped his standout night at 7:37 by coming off the bench and sprinting into the box to score his third goal, making it 11-7. With Utica City pushing six attackers late, Baltimore sealed the match with an empty-net goal at 13:29 to secure the 12-7 final.
Utica City FC returns home tomorrow, Monday, January 19th at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at ucfctickets.com.
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- Utica City Falls to Baltimore, Rematch Tomorrow at Home - Utica City FC
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