In UIC's last game, it was déjà vu from the previous game in a loss to Northwestern.  On Saturday, the Flames (1-5-1, 0-2-0 HL) will look to experience some déjà vu from last season when they travel north for a Horizon League match at Milwaukee (3-3-2, 0-2-0 HL).

The Flames fell to Northwestern, 1-0, on Wednesday night.  That came on the heels of a 2-0 loss to Wright State.  In both of those games, neither team scored for over 80 minutes.  The Flames conceded an icebreaking goal in the 84^th minute to Wright State, and in the 87^th minute to Northwestern, and after the two heartbreaking losses they fell to 1-5-1 on the season.

That was also the team's record after seven games last year.  They quickly turned their season around, winning their next three games and going undefeated over their next six en route to the #2 seed in the Horizon League tournament and the eventual tournament championship.

To put an end to their current four game losing streak, the Flames will have to dent the back of the net against Milwaukee.  It has been over 436 minutes since the Flames scored a goal, but not for lack of attempts.  UIC sits second in the Horizon League with 14.6 shots per game.  Coincidentally, the last goal they scored was in Milwaukee, against Marquette September 1.

Milwaukee ranks among the nation's leaders in shots per game, getting off over 18 attempts per contest.  Many of them come off the foot of Nick Moon, who is eighth in the nation in shots per game and has a goal and two assists.  Evan Conway leads the Panthers with six points and is their only player with more than one goal.

The Panthers took conference losses to Green Bay and Belmont, but defeated Northern Illinois in their last outing.  Jaime Colin's 29^th-minute goal stood up as the only tally of the match.  Freddy Lorenzen made two saves to post his third shutout of the season.  He sports a 1.23 goals against average and has saved two-thirds of the shots he has faced.

The Flames hold a slim 15-14-4 edge in the long standing rivalry, thanks to a 1-0 result in last season's regular season meeting at Flames Field and a 2-1 decision in the Horizon League semifinals.  UIC was unbeaten in ten straight meetings until 2012; the teams are deadlocked at 3-3-1 since then.

Additional notes can be found below.

IRON MEN: The Flames played five overtime periods over their first five games, giving several players the opportunity to rack up minutes.  To date, two Flames – Jesus Perez and Oscar Gonzalez – are still 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.  Fuentes has one of the Flames' goals this season and is tied for third on the team with two points.

JUGGLING THE STARTERS: Seven different First XI's have been deployed over the first seven matches.  Nineteen players have at least one start.  Only three players (Gonzalez, Perez, Garcia) have started every match.  Albert Arabik is the only player who has seen action but not started at least once.

RETURN OF THE MAX: Junior Max Todd scored the golden goal at 105:31 to lift the Flames past their crosstown rivals DePaul.  It was Todd's 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.

SOME GOALS, PLEASE: The Flames have been shut out for four straight games.  Going back to the first half of the Marquette game, when they scored their last goal, it has been a run of 436:50 since they have dented the scoreboard.  The last time the team suffered four straight shutouts was in 1996, when Green Bay, Cleveland State, Loyola, and Western Michigan blanked the Flames in succession.
 
GO WITH O.G.: Oscar Gonzalez has been a catalyst for the Flames' offense.  He leads the team in shots (25) and shots on goal (9).  He took a team-high five shots against Northwestern to leap into the top 25 in all of Division I with a 3.57 shot per game average.  He is the only Flame with a goal and an assist, and is tied for the team lead with three points.

JESUS HELPS OUT: Jesus Perez assisted on both Flames goals against Marquette (9/1).  He leads the team and is ranked second in the Horizon League with three assists.  He is also frequently called upon to initiate action from the corner.  He has taken a team high 31 corner kicks – almost as many as all Flames opponents have attempted all season (35).

RACKING UP CORNER KICKS: UIC's offensive pressure has resulted in bountiful chances to take corner kicks.  Though their opponents have taken more corners in each of the last two games, the Flames are fourth in the nation with 8.14 corner kicks per game.  Against Eastern Illinois, the Flames took 15 corner kicks to the Panthers' none, and they continued their dominance in the category against Detroit Mercy, with a 9-2 edge.

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.

SAWYER MAKES STOPS: Sawyer Jackman started the first three games of the season in goal, leading the Flames to a 1-1-1 start.  He shut out #25 Butler for over 90 minutes until the Bulldogs pushed through a golden goal in overtime.  After allowing two goals to DePaul, he kept the Blue Demons off the scoreboard for the rest of the game as the Flames rallied to win, 3-2.  He is second in the Horizon League with 4.8 saves per game and has a .727 save percentage.

NEW FACE IN NET: Sokratis Vasilas made his first appearance and first start in goal against Eastern Illinois.  He faced only one shot on goal and allowed one goal in the game.  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 and played the whole 90 minutes, and did the same at Northwestern.

LYES COMES ON: After easing into the lineup against DePaul, freshman Lyes Ghezali started and played significant minutes in each of the next three games.  He was in the middle of the action often against Eastern Illinois, firing four shots, two of which were on goal.  He is second on the team with a .714 shot on goal percentage.

UPPING HIS MINUTES: Freshman midfielder Peter Becht started against DePaul, but was used sparingly as a late-half substitute against Butler and Marquette.  He came off the bench again against Eastern Illinois, but logged 45 minutes.  Becht was a 69^th-minute sub against Wright State, and started and played the full 90 at Northwestern.

MAKING HIS MARK-ELL: Freshman 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 went the distance against Wright State, often placing himself in the middle of the action when the Flames were on the attack.