Thursday, Nov. 16
NCAA Tournament First Round
UIC at #17/15 Loyola - 7 p.m. CT - ESPN3 | Live Stats

CHICAGO – The UIC men's soccer team will begin its run in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday when it makes the short trip to Rogers Park to face city rival #17/15 Loyola in the first round of competition. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Loyola Soccer Park.
 
The winner of Thursday night's matchup will advance to the second round where they will meet with the #15/13 Fighting Irish on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind.
 
The Flames will make their sixth ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the program's fourth Horizon League Championship in a 1-0 decision over Wright State (Nov. 12). Oscar Rivero scored the game-winning goal with four minutes remaining in regulation off a corner kick from Max Todd.
 
It was the first tournament championship for UIC since 2007, when it capped its league title by making a run all the way to the Elite Eight for the program's best finish in the postseason.
 
The Flames have produced a 9-7-3 record this season due in part to the 26 goals scored with top production from Todd (8), Rivero (5) and Jose Fuentes to pace the 10 goal scorers. Todd additionally holds a team-best nine assists, good for eighth nationally, for a total of 25 points, the most for any Flame since 2011 when Ivan Stanisavljevic had 26.
 
UIC has taken an impressive 315 shots this season, the most since 2007 when the team had 332, and ranks sixth in the nation with 16.58 shots per game, as 110 of the looks have been on goal. Todd (68), Oscar Gonzalez (57), Fuentes (39) and Rivero (32) have led the team with their efforts as they all have more than 10 attempts on goal, with Todd owning a team-best 31.
 
Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year Andrew Putna has been a standout all season. With 48 saves, he has secured seven shutouts, including the clean sheet in the championship win, and has tabbed an overall 1.29 goals-against-average.
 
Loyola received an at-large bid after claiming the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title but falling short in the semifinals of the tournament to Missouri State, 2-1, in overtime. The Ramblers have acquired a 13-3-1 record this season and have not lost a match at home dating back to 2013.
 
Alec Lasinski (6) and Elliot Collier (5) lead the squad with 11 of the 32 goals scored, while nine players have at least two on the year. Brody Kraussel stands ahead with nine assists, as Kirill Likhovid owns the next highest tally of five helpers. Loyola has put up 221 shots with 97 on goal, led by Lasinski (42), Collier (34), Ryan Howe (25) and Kraussel (24), who has put 19 of his attempts on goal.
 
Andrew Chekadanov earned the title of MVC Goalkeeper of the Year and has made a significant impact for the Ramblers this season. While he has only needed to make a mere 21 saves, he has tallied 11 shutouts and a 0.58 GAA in 1,546 minutes of play.
 
UIC and Loyola have developed a rivalry over the years as both city foes and former conference opponents. The two teams have met a total of 31 times through the regular season and championships, with the Flames owning a 16-13-2 all-time record, but they have never collided in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Back on Aug. 20, UIC was in Rogers Park for an exhibition matchup that the Ramblers came out ahead in with a 3-1 decision, as Abel Guzman added the lone goal for the Flames. The last regular-season meeting came in 2015, when Loyola took a 1-0 win on UIC's home turf.