MILWAUKEE WAVE WIN AT UTICA; EARLY PUSH AND LATE DEFENSE IN ROAD WIN.

By Henry Amini.

UTICA, NY - The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave take care of business in Utica, New York, with the win on Sunday. 

Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 7, Utica City FC 6.
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | REPLAY

The first two quarters told two very different stories in the Milwaukee Wave’s second clash with Utica City FC this season. Shawn “Squid” Azcueta scored the first goal of the game thanks to Andre Hayne’s assist. It wasn’t long after that Juan Alava scored an equalizer, setting the tone for an entertaining battle. The Wave’s next goal came by capitalizing on a mistake in build-up play, when Oscar Flores scored to end a chaotic moment inside the Utica City FC defensive third. The lead would finally be extended to 3-1 when Max Ludwig used the boards to assist Flores for his second consecutive goal. The Milwaukee Wave showed solid defensive acumen throughout the rest of the first half and the entire second quarter played out without a goal. 

“In the 2nd half, Utica came with a lot of pressure. They changed their style of play,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. Utica City started the second half with an aggressive approach taking more offensive risks, and it paid off for some time. The team scored three unanswered goals and claimed a 4-3 lead with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter. Within a minute of Utica City FC’s fourth goal, Alex Sanchez scored an equalizer scorching the top corner at the far post. The Milwaukee Wave reclaimed their lead when Alex Steinwasher facilitated a transition and played with Stuart Grable who found Max Ferdinand on the back post for a lightning fast goal. 

“Today, I felt the special teams moments were huge,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave seemed to be in the face of adversity for a moment late in the quarter. The Major Arena Soccer League assist leader, Mario Alvarez, entered the penalty box with a  yellow card and, within two minutes, Flores joined him after receiving a blue card for a reckless tackle. Despite being tasked with a defensive power play, the Wave put their highly organized defensive unit on display. Alex Steinwasher was at the peak of their defense and pressed aggressively, picking off a pass and scoring a short-handed goal to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 6-4. 

“Willie B made huge saves, huge moments, and that's what we need from him,” Leite said. Utica City FC lives for the late-stage comeback, increasing the pace and looking to go to goal more often,  which is how they beat the Wave in December. Alex Steinwasher scored once more in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Wave would shift to defend for the majority of the period. William Banahene made six of his 17 saves in the fourth quarter, proving to be a major force in closing out the game for the Wave. 

Utica City FC still managed to cause some problems with Geo Alvez employed as a sixth-attacker. Alvez and Sergio Pinal both scored and the difference between the two sides was just one goal, but with just 34 seconds left to play it was too little too late and the Milwaukee Wave will travel back home to celebrate another road win. 

“We're happy about the victory, but I think we can manage the game a little bit better when we have the lead,” Leite said, echoing the high standards he’s held throughout the entire season. He is looking to do what it takes to help this team climb their way to a championship. 

The Milwaukee Wave will have plenty of time to train and recover before they return home on February 10 to face the Kansas City Comets in a powerhouse battle. Just three points behind the first-place Comets, with two games in hand, the Milwaukee Wave have a real opportunity to claim the league’s top spot.

The Milwaukee Wave return home to face the Kansas City Comets at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Tuesday, February 10 at 10:35am CST.