Oct. 12, 2007
Box Score
Chicago, Ill.- The UIC men's soccer team played to its second consecutive scoreless tie on Friday after a 0-0 double-overtime draw at Flames Field.
UIC (4-3-5, 0-0-3 Horizon League) notched its sixth shutout in 12 matches and second straight clean sheet.
The Flames outshot the Bulldogs (4-5-4, 1-1-2 Horizon League) 13-1, allowing Butler's only shot in the 82nd minute.
UIC created some quality chances, including close headers off the noggins of Brandon Bilbrey and Cesar Zambrano late in the match.
Pavle Dundjer almost cashed in on a nice free kick from 30 yards out in the 79th minute that went just wide.
A flurry of corner kicks by the Flames with five minutes left in the second period also produced decent chances, but neither team could produce the clinching marker.
"Fair dues to Butler," said UIC head coach John Trask. "They did what they needed to do, and we didn't do what we needed to do. They came in playing for the tie and they got the tie. I know Wright State is going to come in and play the same way.
"We're a possession team to a fault in that we don't chance our arm and we don't put people in situations where goals come from, and that's inside the box, and we're so concerned about the possession at this point that we just don't chance our arm enough,' Trask said when asked about the offense. "We're going to find someone on the roster, I guarantee you, who wants to put their body in front of stuff and make things happen.
"I though Brandon did a pretty good job of that tonight," Trask said of Bilbrey, the senior co-captain who played in his third game of the year on Friday after recovering from a knee injury suffered in the exhibition season. "He's very versatile, he can play in a lot of spots, he's playing with leadership and playing with toughness, trying to make things happen."
UIC notched its 11th home shutout in the last two years and has not been beaten in 13 home matches dating back to the start of the 2006 season.
Trask touched on another solid Flames effort on defense.
"The defense is playing well," said Trask. "I thought we were good there. I thought moving Alen [Husidic] to center back and Robert [Younger] to right back was a good move."
Friday's draw was UIC's fifth of the year, tying a Horizon League record set by Milwaukee in 2005 and matched by the Flames in 2006. UIC's third league tie is also a new record.
UIC hosts Wright State this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at Flames Field.
