WEEKEND ROAD TRIP ENDS; MILWAUKEE LOSES AT UTICA IN OVERTIME.

By Henry Amini

The Milwaukee Wave lost to Utica City FC in an overtime leg-melter, closing off a rigorous road trip weekend.

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

The Milwaukee Wave opened up the scoresheet on Sunday afternoon when Alex Sanchez scored a goal, assisted by Max Ludwig, kicking off their first of four unanswered goals in the first quarter. Oscar Flores would score the second goal for the Milwaukee Wave, following Ludwig’s shot which deflected off of the boards, earning his second assist. Continuing a dominant first quarter, Andre Hayne scored a near post goal less than two minutes after Flores. The final goal of the quarter was credited to Alex Sanchez when he followed up the crossbar strike by Mario Alvarez. 

The second quarter was relatively quiet, each side only scored one goal on their respective breakaways. It was Nestor Dominguez who scored for the Milwaukee Wave, earning the first goal of his rookie season. 

It was early in the third quarter when Flores scored again for the Wave, extending their lead to 6-1. This would be the final goal scored by the Milwaukee Wave in this competition. 

“We started to play a little different, we moved away from the plan of playing simple,” Said Head Coach Marcio Leite. The game began to fall out of the Milwaukee Wave’s control in the third quarter when Sergio Pinal scored back to back goals, shrinking the lead to only three. 

Pinal netted a second-half hattrick, completed by his fourth quarter finish. The fourth quarter was a barrage of scoring for Utica City FC and they’d eventually score two more goals, tying the game with just more than one minute left in regulation. 

“It’s a young team that doesn’t know how to manage the game as well as they should,” Said Leite. The Milwaukee Wave once held a scoreline of 6-1 before Utica City FC scored five unanswered goals to tie the game. “It comes with time but my expectations were better,” He continued. 

With less than one second remaining, Howard Miller Jr. received a blue card for tripping, the penalty would carry into overtime and the Wave would begin the period on the power play. Utica City FC defended well for nearly the full two minute period when Juan Alava picked off Ludwig’s missed shot, leading to the short-handed walk-off goal scored by Geo Alves. 

The Milwaukee Wave will be disappointed with the results of their east coast road trip but they will look to reclaim their season’s momentum in their return to Milwaukee on New Year's Eve. 

The Milwaukee Wave will face the Empire Strykers at UW Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday, December 31 at 3:05pm CST.
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