Sept. 4, 2011

Box Score

Final Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UIC men's soccer team attempted a season-high 24 shots, including 15 shots-on-goal, and senior Eric Frazier scored the game-tying goal with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, as the Flames remained unbeaten on the season with a 1-1 tie versus UAB at West Campus Field Sunday night.

UIC (2-0-1) recorded advantages in shots (24-9), shots-on-goal (15-2) and corner kicks (8-2). Frazier took a team-high eight shots, including six shots-on-goal, while junior Joe Radice attempted five shots.

The Blazers got on the board in the 53rd minute (53:16), with Kofi Gyawu scoring his first goal of the season just 24 seconds after a corner kick -- Atak Yai tallied the assist. Frazier then scored the unassisted game-tying goal in the 86th minute, beating UAB goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski with a shot in the lower left corner.

"First off, I really want to give credit to UAB, particularly their frontrunner, Babayele Sodade, and Carl Woszczynski, their goalkeeper," said head coach Sean Phillips. "Babayele is a tremendous player, and I don't know that I've seen a better performance in goal than what I saw tonight, since I've been coaching college soccer. He made 13 saves, at least eight-of-which were top-level stops; he was tremendous.

"I'm really excited about our team," Phillips added. "We're starting to develop a personality and an identity. For our guys to come on the road and finish with a come-from-behind tie against a UAB team that was playing as well as it was has to be commended. We kept their back line in check, and Ivan (Stanisavljevic) moved to midfield, helping us keep possession and apply pressure. Offensively, I thought we played well enough to win, but their (UAB's) goalkeeper preserved that tie, and he earned it with a great performance."

With UAB holding a 6-1 advantage in shots and leading 1-0, UIC began making its second-half offensive charge -- in the 63rd minute, the Flames took three-consecutive shots, including two by Radice. During the stretch, UAB's Mladen Lemez received a red card, and the Flames had an 11-on-10 advantage for the remainder of the match.

UIC kept the pressure on, tallying 13 shots in the final 26:57 of regulation. Four of those shots came after Frazier tied the game, as Woszczynski was forced into three saves to hold off UIC's late rally and preserve the tie heading into the first overtime period.

The Flames attempted seven shots in the first overtime session, including two apiece from Frazier and freshman Jesus Torres. Woszczynski was kept busy, being forced to turn away five of those shots, and extended the contest into a second overtime session. Radice took a pair of shots in the final overtime, as time ran out. UIC goalkeeper Piotr Kikolski played all 110 minutes, keeping his record unblemished on the season.

UIC will take on Memphis in Madison, Wis., next Friday (Sept. 9), before hosting UC-Irvine at Flames Field on Sunday afternoon.