POWERFUL THIRD QUARTER VAULTS UTICA TO 9-5 WIN OVER DALLAS

Allen, TX - In the second of two games in Texas, Utica City FC traveled 32 minutes north of its last matchup in Mesquite to the Credit Union of Texas Event Center to take on the Dallas Sidekicks. After trailing 2-1 early in the game, UCFC manufactured another Texas comeback to take down the Sidekicks, 9-5.

Much like last game, Utica got off to a fast start. Defender Jayce Berger grabbed his 4th goal of the season with a curling effort just under 2 minutes in. The Sidekicks would answer right back 4 minutes later. Renato Torquato scored his 3rd goal in 3 games off of a cross into the box. Dallas quickly completed the turnaround through Nestor Hernandez. The forward’s first goal of the season came after beating Andrew Coughlin at his near post. The score remained 2-1 headed into the second quarter.

It didn’t take long for Kevin Oliviera to answer for Utica. The Brazilian's near post goal came just three minutes into the second frame. The goal means Kelvin has continued his streak of scoring in every game he has played in for Utica this season. Then, after capitalizing off of a turnover, striker Vini Dantas reclaimed the lead for UCFC with a powerful goal at the 12:52 mark. It was a lead that would only last for 14 seconds. Blas Perez evened the score at 3 apiece with a ball across the face of goal. Neither team could break the deadlock, and the scoreboard read 3-3 going into halftime.

The third period was all Utica. The scoring started through Cole Stephens, who scored his first goal of the season. The Milwaukee native found the back of the net at the 7:09 mark, giving Utica a 4-3 lead. Three minutes later, Nilton De Andrade made the lead 2 with a stunning long range effort. The forward has now appeared on the scoresheet in 4 straight matches. The lead became 3 just 5 minutes later. Oliveira finished off a beautiful team goal to give Utica a 6-3 lead headed into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was more of the same for Utica. Keaton Woods beat three players to extend the run to four straight unanswered goals. Oliveira completed his hat-trick soon after with a cheeky chip past Juan Gamboa to make the score 8-3 in favor of Utica. Not wanting to be left behind, De Andrade found the back of the net just 40 seconds later. The goal marked a third brace for De Andrade this season. The Sidekicks would pull two back before the buzzer sounded. Yahir Romero bagged the first goal for Dallas since the first half at the 12:47 mark in the fourth. Perez finished the scoring with his second goal of the match, coming 50 seconds before full time. When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 9-5 in favor of Utica.

UCFC returns home this Friday against the Baltimore Blast. Kickoff is set for 7:05 PM EST inside the Adirondack Bank Center. Tickets can be bought at www.uticacityfc.com/tickets

Article written by Andrew Forster