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UTICA, N.Y. – After a tough result the night before, the Milwaukee Wave bounced back to earn a hard 6-5 bounce back victory over the Utica City FC Riggies after late game heroics from Alex Steinwascher.
Steinwascher netted the game-winner in the waning seconds to help ride the Wave to victory.
“After equalizing late, Utica took a chance, and credit to Alex (Steinwascher) for a great shot, but in the end it hurt them,” said Milwaukee Wave head coach Giuliano Oliviero.
Utica goalkeeper Andrew Coughlin rushed to midfield with time running out to keep the Utica attack alive. Pressure from Shawn Azcueta forced Coughlin to sole roll the ball past Azcueta, and ultimately losing the ball to Alex Steinwascher, whose shot from just in front of his own yellow line crossed the goal line with 1.2 seconds on the Adirondack Bank Center clock.
“Credit to Shawn Azcueta, Tony Walls, Robbie Williamson, and our entire defense for a tremendous effort. Playing in this environment is tough, and we knew this coming in. Holding Kelvin to one goal tonight, he’s just a great player, so all the credit to those guys for their performances,” said Oliviero.
A stingy Milwaukee defense was able to hold league leading goal scorer Kelvin Oliviera tonight to just one goal as compared to his five goals in the previous game.
Milwaukee would open the scoring, when Riggies defender Juan Alava couldn’t control a rebound in his own box, leading to a full-on sprint by defender Shawn Azcueta who fired home past Coughlin midway through the first frame.
Similar to the story line in yesterday’s contest, Milwaukee would jump out to 2-0 lead when pressure from Ricardo Carvalho and Troy Morrison led to a defensive mishap and eventually credited to Ricardo Carvalho for his ninth goal of the season.
Less than two minutes later, Vinny Dantas would cut the deficit to one goal after beating his defender and finishing low to Willy Banahene’s low right side.
Javi Steinwascher would add his fourth tally of the season, after a flurry of chances couldn’t beat Coughlin until Breno Oliviera’s cross to the center, found Javi who finished high above Coughlin to give Milwaukee the 3-1 advantage going into halftime.
Mario Alvarez would get the first of an exciting third frame at 0:37, when his rocket shot from just in front of Utica’s yellow line hit the frame of the inside of the back post for the 4-1 lead.
A short-lived relief for the Wave, though, as Geo Alves would finish his first of the season with a give and go from Junior Pinal at 1:17 of the third. Utica would secure the next two goals, however, with goals from Kelvin Oliviera, Jayce Berger, bringing both teams level at 4-4 going into the fourth and final frame.
The fourth quarter would see Milwaukee take an early lead just over a minute in, when Ricardo Carvalho assisted by Alex Sanchez, with a 2-v-1 opportunity. Ricardo’s well-placed shot beat Coughlin to the far post.
Pulling Coughlin in favor of the sixth attacker, that move would prove beneficial for the Riggies who equalized at 14:14 at 5-5.
With the possibility of overtime looming, Alex Steinwascher called game with his late game-winning tally – and was the recipient of a midfield dog pile as the Wave bench cleared to celebrate.
The Milwaukee Wave return home to UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena bright and early Tuesday, January 28 at 10:35 a.m. for the School Day game against two-time defending champions, Chihuahua Savage. Tickets are on sale now at MilwaukeeWave.com and all fans are welcome to join in on the fun.
The Wave then face the rival Baltimore Blast a few days later, Saturday, Feb. 1, 6:05 p.m. at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for our Margaritaville game where you can take in the tropical vibes.
Learn more at www.MilwaukeeWave.com or get your tickets in person, one hour prior to first kick at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Box Office.
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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