CHICAGO - The UIC men's soccer team will look to get back to its winning ways Thursday night, when the Flames host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in a non-conference contest under the lights of Flames Field beginning at 7 p.m. The Flames will then jump back into Horizon League play Sunday, visiting Wright State in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff from Dayton, Ohio.
The Flames (2-5, 0-2 Horizon) dropped a pair of 3-2 decisions versus Horizon League foes Cleveland State (Sept. 24) and Detroit (Sept. 26) last weekend, after recording two impressive wins over Cincinnati and Cal-State Northridge at the University of Akron Tournament.
"Coming off a short week, the one day that we could get a great practice session in was yesterday (Tuesday)," said head coach Sean Phillips. "We play tomorrow night, then travel on Saturday, so it's going to be a challenging week. Obviously, with us giving up three goals in both of our home games last week, emphasis this week was on defending better."
UIC has scored seven goals on the season, led by juniors Derek Huffman and Eric Frazier, who have scored three goals apiece. Goalkeeper Steve Purdy boasts 34 saves through seven games, and has surrendered just one goal in three separate starts, along with the 1-0 shutout of Cincinnati on Sept. 17.
"Eric (Frazier) was going to be a goal scorer for us heading into the season," Phillips said. "Derek (Huffman) can be a good offensive player when he's on his game, on any line. We moved him up top last weekend, and it added a scoring punch for us."
SIU-Edwardsville has lost three-of its last four games overall, and sits with a 2-5 record this season. The Cougars defeated Belmont on Sept. 4, and shutout visiting Cleveland State, 2-0, on Sept. 17. Jared Tejada and Randy Roy have each scored two goals to lead SIU-Edwardsville offensively, while Scott Meyer and Nick Collico have shared the goaltending duties.
"SIU-Edwardsville is eligible for Division I postseason this year, and their coaching staff has done a nice job getting them ready to be successful at this level and for that experience," said Phillips. "They've got a talented team, and are set up to have a good year."
After rolling off four-straight non-conference wins from Sept. 3-11, Wright State (4-4, 0-1 Horizon) has dropped four-consecutive games, including a 3-1 setback at Valparaiso in the Horizon League opener for both teams last Sunday.
"Horizon League competition is obviously the #1 priority for us," said Phillips. "It's even more important now, with us having dropped two home games. Last year, Wright State jumped out to a 1-0 lead on us, before we won the game late. They've got a number of good wins this year, and we're playing them on the road. That's a great challenge, and we'll be ready to play."
Four Raiders have at least three points on the season, led by Derek Zuniga, who has one goal and three assists. Brad Bamberger and Ashton-Rockwell have each contributed two goals. In goal, Wright State is led by Corey Whisenhunt, who has a 1.53 goals-against-average in seven games this season.
