Utica City FC Battles to the End with Baltimore, Falls 8-7 in a Shootout
MASL Utica City FC

Utica City FC Battles to the End with Baltimore, Falls 8-7 in a Shootout

Published on February 15, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Utica City FC News Release


UTICA NY - In front of an epic crowd outpouring support, Utica City FC battled the Baltimore Blast to a 7-7 draw through regulation on Friday night before falling 8-7 in a shootout in a thrilling MASL showdown. The Blast struck just 34 seconds into the match when Patrick Thompson finished a feed from Juan Pereira to make it 1-0 Baltimore at 00:34. Utica responded midway through the quarter on a set piece at 7:13, as Geo Alves rolled a free kick across the top of the box and Mehrshad Ahmadi ripped a one-touch shot into the side netting to tie the match 1-1. The opening 15 minutes ended even at 1-1.

Utica grabbed its first lead early in the second quarter at 1:13 when Ahmadi went to work down the left side, cutting in and firing a shot from just left of the top of the box into the top middle of the goal to give UCFC a 2-1 advantage. Baltimore answered at 4:55 as Eber Ospina found the back of the net to even things at 2-2. The back-and-forth continued at 8:58 when Juan Alava battled for possession above the box, was knocked down in the scrum, and the ball fell to Sergio Pinal, who struck a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner to restore a 3-2 Utica lead. The Blast countered again at 10:23 with Oumar Sylla finishing off a pass from Marco Nascimento, sending the game into halftime tied 3-3.

The third quarter delivered a flurry of offense. At 3:47, Pinal carried the ball to the top of the box and slipped it left to Gordy Gurson, who took one touch and blasted a shot into the top middle of the goal for a 4-3 Utica lead. Baltimore responded at 5:51 as Ospina struck again to tie it 4-4, then surged ahead at 7:04 on a goal from Kevaughn Frater to make it 5-4. Just 1:34 later at 8:38, Chad Poarch extended the Blast lead to 6-4. Utica refused to fold. At 12:06, Brian Wilkin launched a throw-in to Ahmadi near the yellow line, and the forward took a few touches before burying his third of the night to cut the deficit to 6-5. Then at 14:42, Ahmadi stole the ball near midfield, drove straight to the top of the box, and finished clinically to complete his hat trick and tie the game 6-6, marking a career-high performance in a single game. After three quarters, the teams were deadlocked at 6-6.

The tension only escalated in the fourth. Baltimore capitalized on a power play at 10:36 when Jonatas Melo converted off a pass from Sylla to give the Blast a 7-6 edge. Utica answered with a power play of its own at 12:04, moving the ball crisply around the top of the box before finding Gurson at the bottom left of the goal, where he buried a one-touch finish to even the match at 7-7. Neither side found the breakthrough in overtime, sending the contest to a shootout. In the end, Baltimore edged Utica in penalties to claim an 8-7 victory, capping one of the most dramatic matches of the season.

Tomorrow at 3pm Utica City FC stays home for a matchup with St. Louis. Tickets are still available at ucfctickets.com.

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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 15, 2026


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