Oct. 30, 2008

Chicago, Ill.- The 11th-ranked UIC men's soccer team wraps up the regular season this weekend with two critical matches against Horizon League foes.

The Flames (10-2-4, 4-1-1 Horizon League) head to northwest Indiana to battle Valparaiso (5-8-3, 0-5-1 Horizon League) at Brown Field on Halloween. That match begins at 3 p.m.

UIC will return to Flames Field two days later to close out the regular season with the crosstown derby against rival Loyola (8-5-2, 3-2-1 Horizon League) at 6 p.m. Flames Field is located at 901 W. Roosevelt Road on UIC's South Campus.

The UIC-Loyola match will be preceded by festivities for Senior Night and Parents Night.

The Flames are in the hunt for the 2008 Horizon League regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the 2008 Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship presented by U.S. Army. Wins in both of its matches this weekend, combined with at least one Butler tie, would give the Flames the league regular-season crown and a bye all the way to the league semifinals.

UIC enters the weekend with a two-match winning streak, with both wins coming in shutout form. Both victories were also decided by goals off the boot of sophomore forward Matt Spiess, who has scored all three of the Flames' markers in the last pair of contests.

Goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja recorded his 30th shutout last Saturday in a 1-0 win over Milwaukee, adding to his school record for career clean sheets while becoming the fourth post-patrolman in Horizon League history to turn in at least 30 career blankings.

For more information on the Flames and their final weekend of the regular season, click on the updated match notes above.