Nov. 16, 2001
Final Stats
Milwaukee, Wisc. - The University of Illinois at Chicago soccer team just couldn't get comfortable in their Horizon League semifinal match-up against Butler at UW-Milwaukee's Engelmann Field on Friday afternoon.
UIC found themselves trailing less than two minutes into the game and couldn't get on track as Butler earned the 3-0 victory over the Flames.
Butler (10-8) advances to the tournament championship and will take on the winner of the UW-Milwaukee-Wright State contest at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. UIC's season ends with a record of 11-6-1.
Butler struck almost immediately into the game as Michael Mariscalco capitalized on a UIC turnover, and launched a rocket past UIC goalie Jeff Kusiciel from 30 yards out into the upper left corner of the net at the 1:30 mark of the first half.
That goal, however, did not faze assistant coach John Collins.
"We've let up goals like this before," Collins said. "I didn't think anything of it."
Mariscalco, however, gave Collins and the Flames something to think about when he scored on a free-kick from 35 yards out that fell in and out of Kusiciel's hands with 26 minutes left in the first half.
The Bulldogs, then put the icing on the cake five minutes later, as Nick Pantazi headed in a Mariscalco pass for the final goal of the contest.
In the second half, UIC fought furiously, but could not come up with a score as Butler held on for the victory. UIC outshot Butler for the game, 18-11. Half of those shots were placed on goal for the Flames, led by freshman Patrick Grange's six attempts.
"They didn't come out with the right intensity," Collins said. "For 45 minutes, they beat us.
"We came out in the second half and put pressure on them for the next 45 minutes," Collins continued. "We just couldn't find the net.
"If we would have scored early in the second half, I think the game would have changed a lot but we missed a couple of chances that I think we should have had."
