MILWAUKEE – The UIC women's soccer team (1-6-2, 0-1-0 HL) could not fend off the attack of Milwaukee (5-3-2, 1-0-0 HL) Friday night as it suffered a 5-1 loss in its Horizon League opener at Engelmann Stadium. Tamae Douglas was the Flames lone goal scorer as she picked up her first collegiate tally with assists from Emily Valentine and Emily Wauer.
 
UIC reached a double-digit shot total for the first time since Sept. 2 at SIUE as it fired off 10 attempts. Douglas and Alexis Jakuszewski led the squad with two shots apiece as the pair along with Wauer, Jennifer Saviski and Valentine had their efforts reach on goal. The Panthers set an opponent high on the year with 24 shots and 14 shots on goal.

Annie DiCanio earned her sixth start of the season and made six saves before Tara Khayam entered to play in the 74th minute, marking her second appearance of the season, and set a new career mark with three stops. The combined nine saves marked a season high for the Flames.
 
Milwaukee got off to a quick start, putting a shot on goal one minute in and then scoring just into the fourth minute of play directly off a corner kick from Maria Stephans.
 
After Wauer put a shot on net 28 seconds later, Douglas gave UIC a boost when she found the equalizer off a touch from Wauer following a corner kick from Valentine. The corner was the first of eight in the first half, which set a program record for corner kicks in a half.
 
The Flames and Panthers went back and forth in their possession over the following seven minutes, with shots coming from Anna Brusco and Jakuszewski, before Milwaukee reclaimed the lead in the 14th minute, when a long ball was served and Callie O'Donnell converted off a one-on-one opportunity.
 
UIC was able to maintain control for a solid 10 minutes, attempting two shots from Rebeca Pallo and Valentine and earning four corners. However, the Panthers gained the 3-1 advantage when another long service allowed Maddie Tetzke to turn on a one-timer.
 
Douglas would get the Flames last chance of the half in the 30th minute when she was blocked, while Milwaukee had three more attempts with DiCanio making her fifth save of the game, marking a career high in a half for the junior.
 
The Panthers came out in the second stanza and got off three shots in the opening five minutes before they converted off another corner kick in the 51st minute with McKaela Schmelzer getting the tally off the service from Stephans.
 
The Flames were persistent and made a run in the 56th minute that drew a foul and set up a free kick outside the box, with Jennifer Saviski taking the shot and Milwaukee's Mallory Geurts coming up with the save. Jakuszewski followed with a swipe from distance but sailed it high.
 
In the 67th minute, UIC committed a foul a midfield, setting up Milwaukee with a free kick. Stephans sent the ball in all the way to the right side of the box where O'Donnell finished with her second goal of the game.
 
It was the Panthers the rest of the way before Rushe ended a 20-minute shot drought for the Flames with an attempt that went wide.
 
UIC heads back to Chicago in preparation for a non-conference matchup Sunday at Flames Field against Chicago State at 4 p.m. CT. The Cougars most recently face the Panthers and were upended in a 11-0 final.