April 15, 2011

CHICAGO - The UIC men's soccer team will look to secure its second-straight Chicago Cup Championship Saturday, when the Flames travel to Rogers Park to participate in the four-team field which also includes Loyola, DePaul and Northwestern.

"Chicago is a soccer town. This event, in its second year, represents a great opportunity to grow the college game in the city," said UIC head coach Sean Phillips. "Any time you can get four good college programs such as these, in the same city at the same venue, the competition will be great for the players on the field and the fans in attendance."

The Flames are the defending champions, having shut out both Northwestern (3-0) and cross-town rival Loyola (1-0). This year's event will be played at the Loyola Soccer Park - UIC will face DePaul at 12:45 p.m., following the game between Loyola and Northwestern. The consolation game is scheduled for 2 p.m., while the championship contest will be played at 3:15 p.m. CST.

UIC will be playing its fourth and fifth games of the spring season. The Flames battled Marquette to a 1-1 draw on March 5, and then tied defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Bradley at the NIU Invitational on April 2. UIC dropped a 3-0 decision versus the host Huskies in the nightcap of the event - both contests were played in 60-minute formats.

Loyola finished the 2010 season with a 4-3-1 record in Horizon League play, garnering the final seed of the conference tournament. DePaul went 4-10-5 (1-5-3 BIG EAST) last fall, while Northwestern compiled an 8-8-2 record, going 2-3-1 in Big Ten Conference play.