Oct. 2, 2009

Box Score

CHICAGO- Freshman midfielder Ivan Stanisavljevic was probably known more for having a lengthy last name than his play prior to Friday night.

After his offensive show that evening, his ability to score nearly as many goals in a game as there are syllables in his surname will certainly put attention on his talent.

Stanisavljevic scored three unassisted goals, including two decisive tallies in the final two minutes, to power the UIC men's soccer team to a 3-1 victory over visiting Wright State at a slippery Flames Field.

UIC (3-2-4, 1-0-1 Horizon League) won its second straight contest and extended its unbeaten streak to six matches.

The hat trick by Stanisavljevic was the first by a UIC player since Pavle Dundjer accomplished the feat against Centenary on Oct. 2, 2005.

"It was a typical Horizon League game," said UIC head coach John Trask. "We expect nothing less. Compliments to the new coach Bryan Davis and the coaching staff at Wright State; they put together an excellent game plan. Just playing a couple of days ago in an emotional win, it was going to take something special tonight, and fortunately we had the playmakers to do it.

"What more do you say about Ivan?" asked Trask. "The kid had a hat trick tonight. But it was a team effort. It was a great team effort."

Stanisavljevic started the scoring in the sixth minute after the Flames were awarded a free kick outside of the left corner of the box. The Serbian rookie punished the ball past keeper Matt Koewler for the early lead.

That advantage was short-lived, though, as the Raiders (1-6-1, 0-2-1 Horizon League) capitalized on a mistake in the back. Tim Sampson intercepted a pass in the 15th minute and had an impromptu one-on-one look at frame that was belted into the net.

UIC controlled time of possession for the majority of the match under a steady rain, but Flames attacks that developed into dangerous threats proved to be unlucky in their completion.

That was until the 89th minute, when another free kick was given to the Flames from nearly the same spot as Stanisavljevic's sixth-minute shot on the other half of the pitch. Instead of replicating the vigorous laser he struck for his first score, Stanisavljevic bent a beautiful ball that curved from far post to the near side around Koewler and landed safely into the net for the go-ahead goal.

But Ivan's day was not done. Less than a minute later he gathered a Wright State miscue with his boots near the center of the park and sped up the right side for a breakaway opportunity. Nearly 35 yards away from target, Stanisavljevic calmly and quickly lifted a line drive try that beat Koewler for his third goal of the night.

"We talked about being patiently aggressive," said Trask. "Sometimes that is hard to do in a soccer game. But I thought we did that, and we talked about that at halftime. We said we could score in the first minute of the second half or it might be the 44th minute of the second half. That's a compliment to the guys that believed.

"Tonight, under very difficult conditions for us against a team that was playing tactically and intelligently, we overcame," Trask said. "We had to believe somewhere deep inside of us."

Trask was happy to see Stanisavljevic continue to etch his place on the Flames' side as a player just nine games into his collegiate career.

"It's great to see Ivan working his way into this team," Trask concluded.

Both Koewler and Jovan Bubonja finished the game without a single save between them.

UIC returns to Flames Field next Wednesday, Oct. 7 to host the nation's top-ranked team, Akron, at 7 p.m. It is the Flames' RED OUT Match sponsored by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. All fans are encouraged to wear red to support the Flames, and the first 100 students receive a commemorative RED OUT t-shirt.

Fans can listen to podcasts featuring exclusive interviews with UIC head coaches, staff and student-athletes in two ways:

1. Download the free UIC Athletics Widget and click on the "UIC Flames Podcasts" link

2. Download podcasts for free on iTunes by searching "UIC Flames."

Fans wishing to learn more about affordable and flexible UIC ticket plans are encouraged to call 312-413-UIC1 or visit www.uicflames.com and click on the "Tickets" tab on the Flames home page.