AMBUSH DEFEAT UTICA CITY FC 6-4 FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN

Utica, New York (February 16, 2026) – For the second time in three days, the St. Louis Ambush won on the road, this time defeating Utica City FC 6-4 Monday afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. Two days earlier, St. Louis handed the Baltimore Blast a 7-3 defeat. The President’s Day victory is the third in a row for the Ambush. The win improved the Ambush to 9-3-3 on the season, while Utica dropped to 4-8-3.

The Ambush got an early advantage when Utica’s Cole Stephens was sent to the penalty box in the fifth minute of the first quarter for tripping, resulting in a penalty kick. Mario Falsone took the kick for the Ambush and scored on Utica goalkeeper Brian Wilkin. Utica went on a power play of their own in the seventh minute when St. Louis was penalized for too many men on the field. St. Louis successfully defended against the power play, but UCFC would draw even minutes later when Logan Roberts scored with an upper ninety shot. With 43 seconds remaining in the opening period, St. Louis was awarded a power play when Utica’s Juan Alava was sent to the sin bin for a reckless tackle. The clock expired on the quarter with the score knotted 1-1.

Utica took a 2-1 lead in the second minute of the second quarter when Mershad Ahmadi put a shot between the legs of Ambush goalkeeper Eduardo “Pollo” Cortes. Thirty four seconds later, Sergio Pinal’s unassisted tally gave UCFC a two-goal (3-1) lead. In the fourth minute, the Ambush got another power play opportunity when Utica was blue-carded for too many men on the field. They made good on the opportunity when Daniel Torrealba put a shot in the rear corner of the net to make it a 3-2 contest. Officials drew the fifth blue card of the game in the seventh minute when St. Louis’ John Gates was sent off for holding, giving UCFC their second power play of the afternoon. The Ambush killed off the power play without giving up a goal and play continued. With neither team finding the back of the net, the home side led 3-2 at halftime.

The third quarter was barely underway when a blue card appeared once again. St. Louis’ Riley Urie earned a trip to the penalty box for boarding, giving Utica their third power play. Again, the Ambush killed off the penalty and play continued at even strength. In the thirteenth minute, Robert Williamson’s rocket of a shot was the equalizer for St. Louis. The match was deadlocked 3-3 heading into the final frame. In the fourth minute of the fourth quarter, St. Louis was awarded a penalty kick when UCFC goalkeeper Brian Wilkin was sent off for a handball outside the box. Andrew Taylor came off the bench for Utica and stopped Mario Falsone’s shot, resulting in a power play for the Ambush, who did not score with the man advantage.

Although they didn’t score on the power play, the Ambush did score in the sixth minute of the fourth quarter when Torrealba nailed his second of the duel, making it a 4-3 game. St. Louis increased their lead to 5-3 in the eighth minute when Axel Chakounte went airborne with his back to the goal, twisted his body mid-air, stuck out a foot, and scored a stunning goal on a ball coming high off the board. Utica wasn’t finished, however, as Ahmadi Mershad got off a shot out of Cortes’ reach to make it a 5-4 game with less than five minutes remaining in regulation play. With under two minutes remaining, UCFC put Willie Spurr in as the sixth attacker. Colin O’Keefe scored an empty-netter for St. Louis, increasing their lead to 6-4 with less than a minute remaining. Utica never quit, applying significant offensive pressure in the final seconds, but the Ambush defense held strong and secured the win.

St. Louis and Utica are set for a rematch, this time on the Ambush home turf. The two teams square off again Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 5:05 p.m. CST at The Family Arena in St. Charles. It will be a busy weekend for the Ambush, who face the Milwaukee Wave on the road less than 24 hours after the home game versus Utica.

Ambush group and single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2025-26 season are on sale. Call the Ambush office at 636-477-6363 for more information. Fans can stay current on all Ambush news by visiting the team’s official website, stlambush.com and on social media outlets.