EPIC Utica City FC HOME OPENER LIGHTS UP THE CITY

Utica City FC opened their home 2024 MASL campaign in spectacular fashion, defeating the Harrisburg Heat 12-5 in front of a packed crowd at the Adirondack Bank Center. Kelvin Oliveira led the charge with three goals and four assists, propelling himself to the top of the MASL scoring leaderboard.

The night featured an epic crowd, the debut of digital dasher boards in the MASL, and some of the best players in the world showing their skills.

The action began early with Sergio Pinal opening the scoring at 2:33. Ronaldinho Diniz sprinted down the field before threading a perfect pass to Pinal, who slotted the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to give Utica City an early 1-0 lead. Harrisburg responded at 6:48 with Dominic Francis finishing a pass from Malcolm Harris to tie the game 1-1. Utica quickly regained the lead at 8:09 when Juan Alava capitalized on a defensive miscue, weaving through two defenders and blasting the ball into the left corner. Harrisburg equalized again at 10:38, with Joshua Dimatteo converting a pass from Mike Da-Silva to end the quarter tied 2-2.

Utica City came out firing in the second quarter. At 1:59, Kelvin Oliveira played a ball off the wall to Nate Bourdeau, who hammered a one-timer into the net for a 3-2 lead. Emmanuel Belliard extended the lead at 5:29, finishing a give-and-go with Vinicius Dantas by curling a shot into the top-left corner. Harrisburg pulled one back at 8:52 through Zach Perry and tied the game 4-4 at 9:19 when Francis scored his second of the night. Just 11 seconds later, Oliveira showcased his skill with a quick turn and finish to the far post, assisted by Belliard, putting Utica up 5-4. Gordy Gurson then capped off the half at 13:42 with a tap-in from a Oliveira cross, giving Utica a 6-4 lead.

Utica continued their offensive barrage early in the third. At just 44 seconds in, goalkeeper Andrew Coughlin launched a long pass off the boards, finding Oliveira for a one-touch finish into the bottom-right corner. Harrisburg’s Joey Tavernese cut the lead to 7-5 at 10:02, but Utica responded emphatically. Nilton de Andrade danced past a defender and buried a shot to the bottom-left corner at 11:11, and Oliveira added another solo effort from midfield at 11:56 to extend the lead to 9-5 at the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter was all Utica City. At 7:34, Oliveira delivered a perfect pass to Gurson, who finished between the goalkeeper's legs. Less than a minute later, Ronaldinho Diniz found the net with a shot off an Andrew Coughlin assist. De Andrade sealed the night at 10:21 with a give-and-go from Oliveira, completing Utica’s dominant 12-5 victory.

Utica City FC returns to action with momentum and confidence after a thrilling home opener. Fans can look forward to more electrifying play as the season unfolds. UCFC returns on New Year's Eve at 3pm. Tickets are available at ucfctickets.com