Nov. 4, 1999

The University of Illinois at Chicago soccer team (13-3, 6-1), which won its first-ever regular-season conference title last weekend, had a record eight players, as well as Head Coach Sasha Begovic, collect Midwestern Collegiate Conference post-season honors it was announced last night at the MCC Tournament banquet.

Highlighting the Flames? honorees were junior forward and MCC leading scorer Eric Lukin (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), who was named UIC?s first-ever conference player of the year while Begovic, in his 10th season at UIC, was chosen as the coach of the year in a vote of the league?s coaches. Lukin, who has tallied 17 goals and 13 assists for 47 points this season, is just four points shy of becoming UIC?s all-time leading scorer. Begovic, the Flames? first skipper to earn coach of the year accolades, has guided UIC to back-to-back-to-back 13-win seasons and consecutive appearances in the MCC Tournament semifinals.

Lukin, who currently leads the country for points per game (2.94), was joined on the All-MCC First Team by defenseman Jay DeMerit (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) and midfielder Ryan Lindgren (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles). Goalkeeper Chris Jamal (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and midfielders John Collins (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) and Greg Chrisman (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) were selected to the All-MCC Second Team while rookies Joe Morelli (Holly, Mich./Brother Rice) and Bruno Rasich (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) were both voted to the MCC?s All-Newcomer Team. The Flames are the #1 seed of the 1999 MCC Tournament, which gets underway this afternoon in Indianapolis, Ind., and will face Cleveland State at 5:00 p.m. (EST).