Box Score

Box Score

CHICAGO - Marco Alvarez scored the game-tying goal in the second half of play to help the UIC men's soccer team (1-1-1) clinch a 1-1 tie with Butler (2-0-1) on Saturday afternoon at Flames Field. Alvarez's goal was assisted by his twin brother, Jorge Alvarez, marking the first such sequence of their collegiate careers.

The Flames and Bulldogs were evenly matched statistically, each firing off 15 shots with four on goal through 110 minutes of play. (Marco) Alvarez put up a team-high three shots, followed by (Jorge) Alvarez, Oscar Gonzalez and Kyle Hamann with two each. Joel Leon, Gonzalez and Sasha Simon additionally had shots on goal.

Not many chances came in the first 45 as UIC was kept to two shots and Butler tallied three. Following the first shot of the game in the 12th minute by Nestor Garcia that went wide, (Jorge) Alvarez had his chance blocked seven minutes later. The Bulldogs threatened in the 21st minute, when they drew a foul outside the top of the box and had their free kick blocked by the defensive wall.

It was in the second half that both teams got on the board as they each improved their efforts with UIC taking nine shots and Butler maintaining eight. The Bulldogs scored the first goal in the 56th minute as Jeff Adkins fed a pass to Eric Leonard, who headed the ball in to go up one-nil. The Flames responded 14 minutes later in the 70th minute as the Alvarez twins connected, with Marco finishing on a cross from Jorge for his first goal of the season and second as a Flame.

Through two overtime periods, UIC and Butler put up four shots. The Flames had three quality chances in the final three minutes of the first OT from Gonzalez, Thomas Villamil and Abel Guzman. The last shot recorded by UIC was taken by Joel Leon, forcing a save in the final 25 seconds.

Andrew Putna made three saves in the game with the first coming on a header in the first half and two following in the second.

The Flames break from action before returning for the UAB Classic next weekend. UIC is set to face host UAB on Friday (Sept. 11) at 7:30 p.m. CT followed by a noon kickoff on Sunday (Sept. 13) against Georgia State. Both matches will be held in Birmingham, Ala., at West Campus Field.