Oct. 14, 2001

Final Stats

Cleveland, Ohio - The UIC soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to nine games with a 5-2 win over Cleveland State Sunday afternoon. The Flames are 8-0-1 in their last nine games and have won six straight against the Vikings.

UIC (8-3-1, 2-0-1 Horizon League) trailed 1-0 just under 23 minutes into the game as the Vikings' Marc Royer tallied his first goal of the year. The Flames knotted the game at 1-1 in the 42nd minute, however, as Jake Stasko (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way) crossed a pass to Jay DeMerit (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port), who one-timed it past CSU goalie Josip Novkovic from four yards out.

UIC, which outshot Cleveland State 16-10 in the game, came back less than seven minutes later to take a 2-1 lead just before the halftime break after Patrick Grange (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque) buried his eighth goal of the year as he flicked a pass from DeMerit past Novkovic.

"It was a good performance by the whole team in the second half," Head Coach Sasha Begovic, who celebrated his birthday Sunday, said. "We weren't that great in the first half, but we picked it up in the second half, moved the ball well and supported very well. It was day and night."

Kurt Albertson's (North Platte, Neb./North Platte) first goal of the season in the 62nd minute proved to be the game-winner for UIC as he headed in a Dennis King (Colona, Ill./United Township) corner kick.

Grange gave the Flames a 4-1 lead in the 77th minute with his team-leading ninth goal of the year. After Cleveland State put one more goal past UIC goalie Casey Pudwill (Bartlett, Ill./Streamwood) in the 86th minute, Chris Pipis (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) came right back to give the Flames' a three-goal lead again with his second score of the year in the 88th minute.

UIC starter Jeff Kusiciel picked up his eighth win of the season between the posts after stopping five shots on goal in 82 minutes played.

The Flames return home on Wednesday, October 17, at 3:00 p.m. to host the Butler Bulldogs.