The UIC men's soccer team (7-5-3, 4-2-1 HL) will honor its seniors during the final home game of the 2017 season when Oakland (6-8-1, 3-3-1 HL) visits Flames Field for a crucial Horizon League match Saturday evening.

"Oakland's record is deceptive, in that they are an opponent that has some very significant wins over the course of the season," head coach Sean Phillips said.  "They also seem to have found a very good form over their last six games.  We're in a good run of form too, so I anticipate, like each time we've played them since they joined the conference, a high level, attractive soccer game."

Kickoff will be at 7:00 following a pregame ceremony for Joel Leon, Jose Fuentes, Abel Guzman, and Sasha Simon, who will graduate in the spring.

Speaking about the last scheduled home game for these four seniors, Phillips said, "Over the course of five seasons in the case of Abel, Joel, and Sasha, and over four for Jose, these guys have done a tremendous amount of work.  They've contributed to championships we've won in a number of ways, and they've helped maintain the culture we've created here that expects people to do things the right way not just on the field but in the classroom and in the community. 

"They've left a tremendous mark on the program."

Last Time Out

• The Flames ran their unbeaten streak to eight games with a dramatic, 1-0 win over Cleveland State in double overtime.
• Max Todd converted a penalty kick in the 110^th minute to secure three points for UIC.
• Sawyer Jackman turned in his second straight shutout.

Flames to Watch

• Todd made good on his third game winning goal of the season.  Each of his three goals has been a game winner.
• In addition to shutouts in his last two outings, Jackman allowed only one goal in each of the two games before that, and has allowed 0 or 1 goals in six of his last seven starts.
• Oscar Gonzalez and Peter Becht each have three goals in the last six matches.

Horizon League Scenarios

• With a win, the Flames would clinch a spot in the six-team Horizon League Tournament.
• Depending on other results around the conference Saturday, UIC could secure home field in the first round.
• The Flames are still alive for a first round bye as a top-two seed.  The seedings will likely not be finalized until the final day of competition next Friday.
• "As tight as the race is, these three points are very important for both teams," Phillips noted.  "I would anticipate the game, as it usually does, coming down to a few key moments and the team that makes those plays will walk out with the three points."

Scouting the Golden Grizzlies

• Oakland enters on a four match unbeaten streak and is coming off a 1-0 win over Belmont last Saturday.
• Jacob Moore collected the only goal of the game in the 85^th minute.
• Oakland has shut out their last three opponents courtesy of Wes Mink, who lowered his goals against average to 0.8.

Statistically Speaking

• UIC ranks sixth in the country in shots per game and is 11^th in shots on goal.  The Flames' aggressiveness in the final third also has them in the top 20 nationwide in corner kicks per game.
• Jesus Perez has eight assists to place 11^th in the NCAA.
• Mink has played just four conference games, but ranks first in the Horizon League with an .875 save percentage in those contests.
• Oakland's Austin Ricci is tops in the conference as he takes 4.0 shots per game, and the Flames have four representatives in the top 10.

An Interrupted Rivalry

• The series between the two schools dates UIC's first season as a Division I program, 1981, though it took a lengthy hiatus between 1984 and 2013, Oakland's first season in the Horizon League.
• Oakland holds a slim 3-2-2 advantage all-time.
• The Flames hold a 2-1-1 edge in Horizon League play.  Oakland won last year's matchup, 5-2.  Max Todd had a goal and an assist in the contest.

Additional Notes

IRON MEN: The Cleveland State game was the Flames' sixth overtime contest of the season, giving several players another opportunity to rack up minutes.  To date, Jose Fuentes, Jacob Graiber, and Joel Leon are all averaging over 90 minutes per match.

FINALLY, SOME REST: Jose Fuentes did not come off the pitch for a single minute over the Flames' first five games.  He was subbed out in the 84^th minute against Wright State and was absent from the starting lineup for the first time all year against Northwestern.  He played at least 80 minutes in five of the last six games, having sat out the Bradley contest.  He took a team high six shots against IUPUI, which tied the Flames' season high.

JUGGLING THE STARTERS: Thirteen different First XI's have been deployed over the first 15 matches.  The Green Bay match was the first time a starting lineup was reused from a previous match, and when the same lineup began the Northern Kentucky game, it marked the first time a lineup remained completely intact over two consecutive matches.  Twenty-one players have at least one start.  Only two players (Gonzalez, Garcia) have started every match.  Jacob Graiber made his first start as a Flame at Milwaukee and has started the last eight matches.

RETURN OF THE MAX: All three of junior Max Todd's goals this season have been game-winners.  He scored the golden goal at 105:31 to lift the Flames past their crosstown rivals DePaul to mark the first game winner of his career.  He missed the next three games but returned against Wright State and made an immediate impact, initiating the offense and getting off three shots in 24 minutes.  Todd came off the bench again versus Northern Illinois and came through with another game-winner, putting a free kick into the net in the 68^th minute.  His penalty kick with just 44 seconds left in the second overtime gave the Flames the win over Cleveland State.

SOME GOALS, PLEASE: Jesus Perez' first goal at Milwaukee ended a drought of 440:13 since the team's previous goal, spanning six games.  In between, the Flames were shut out for four straight games for the first time since 1996, when Green Bay, Cleveland State, Loyola, and Western Michigan blanked the Flames in succession.  The Flames have scored in seven of their last eight games, with a scoreless draw at Northern Kentucky the only blemish.

GO WITH O.G.: Oscar Gonzalez has been a catalyst for the Flames' offense.  He leads the team in goals with five, as well as shots (46) and shots on goal (20).  He took a team-high five shots against Northwestern and also paced the Flames against Northern Illinois.  He one of four Flames with a goal and an assist, and is first on the team with 15 points.  His two goal performance at IUPUI was the first multi-goal game of his career, and helped earn him Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

NOT AN INSTANT REPLAY: Jesus Perez scored at 3:23 against Milwaukee, marking his first goal as a Flame, and liked it so much he scored again at 5:02.  He was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week for his feat.  It was the first time a Flame had scored twice in a match since October 31, 2015, and the fastest the team scored twice since they got two goals in 2:04 last November 4.

GET THIS MAN SOME CHEESE: Jesus Perez clearly enjoys playing in Milwaukee.  In addition to his two goals at UWM, he assisted on both Flames goals against Marquette (9/1).  He is the team's leader with seven assists.  He is also frequently called upon to initiate action from the corner.  He has taken a team high 51 corner kicks.  The Flames have allowed just 71 corners all season.

RACKING UP CORNER KICKS: UIC's offensive pressure has resulted in bountiful chances to take corner kicks.  The Flames are 17^th in the nation with 6.3 corner kicks per game.  They took 11 of the game's 15 corners against Cleveland State.

WILLING AND ABEL: Abel Guzman is one of the Flames' goal scorers this season, striking on a penalty kick against DePaul.  He took a team high 6 shots versus the Blue Demons as the Flames rallied to win.  He also sparked the offense as a starter against Bradley, connecting on the game's first goal.

SAWYER MAKES STOPS: Sawyer Jackman made two highlight reel saves late in the game against Loyola to preserve the draw.  He stopped a 90^th-minute header right at the post, and turned away a penalty kick in overtime.  Against Green Bay, he saved a PK for the second time this season.  His heroics against the Ramblers and Phoenix earned him Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honors.  On two occasions (Milwaukee and Loyola), he allowed no goals during the run of play (only being scored on via penalty kicks).  Jackman shut out Northern Kentucky to mark his first clean sheet as a Flame, and backed that performance up with another shutout against Cleveland State.  He is fifth in the Horizon League with 3.5 saves per game and has a .737 save percentage.

NEW FACE IN NET: Sokratis Vasilas earned his first Flames win against Bradley.  He was called upon to make two saves against the Braves.  He made his first appearance and first start in goal against Eastern Illinois.  He also started against Northwestern and made four saves, and aggressively challenged several additional attempts via Wildcat crosses and corner kicks.

THE DEFENSE RESTS: Back Joel Leon played every minute of the Flames' first three games, helping anchor a back line that shut out then-#25 Butler during regulation, and posted a win and a draw.  Leon got some well-deserved rest during the Eastern Illinois game.  He returned to the lineup against Wright State, played the whole 90 minutes in every game until IUPUI, and has gone the distance in the last three matches.

VEGA, BABY, VEGA: Ricardo Vega returned to the starting lineup against NIU.  He started the first five matches of the season but did not appear in the next three.  He was part of the back line that allowed the Huskies just five shots and a mere two on goal.

LYES COMES ON: After easing into the lineup against DePaul, freshman Lyes Ghezali started and played significant minutes in each of the next four games.  He was in the middle of the action against IUPUI, logging his first two assists in a Flames uniform.  He is fourth on the team with a .538 shot on goal percentage.

GAINING CONFIDENCE: Freshman midfielder Peter Becht has started eight of the last nine games and played at least 58 minutes in each one, after easing his way into the rotation the previous five outings.  He scored his first career goal against Northern Illinois and made it a tally in two straight with another goal against IUPUI.  Becht scored twice against Green Bay, making it four goals in a four game stretch, and won Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

MAKING HIS MARK-ELL: Junior Markell Saddler saw his first action of the season when he started against Detroit Mercy.  He tied for a team-high three shots, putting one on net.  He tallied the first point of his UIC career with an assist against Northern Illinois.

DEFENSE STEPS UP: Cristian Sanchez has played every minute of each of the last eight games and has been a critical part of a back line that has allowed just 0.88 goals per game over that stretch.  When involved in the attack, he has made the most of his opportunities by putting eight of his nine shots on goal.

MAKING THE OFFENSE GO: Nestor Garcia has started every game this season, and played 1340 of a possible 2350 minutes.  He is a catalyst of the Flames' attack, often playing an instrumental role in transitioning the ball from the defensive third to the offensive third from his midfield spot.