Steve Woltmann

Flames Set to Tangle with Northern Illinois

UIC In Search of First Back-to-Back Wins of Season

9/25/2017 4:52:00 PM

The UIC Flames (2-5-1) will look to build a winning streak when Northern Illinois (3-5-0) visits Flames Field for a midweek non-conference match. The intrastate rivals will square off for the 19th time Tuesday evening at 7:00.

"Northern Illinois is another in-state rival that highlights our non-conference schedule, and I look forward to welcoming them, and Coach Swan for the first time, to UIC," head coach Sean Phillips said. "[Coach Swan] has a great track record as a head coach and I'm expecting him to do more great things at NIU. He's already put together a good team as evidenced by their win over #10 Omaha. Many players on both sides are familiar with each other from their high school and club days, so I expect a great rivalry atmosphere Tuesday night."

The Flames reversed their recent fortunes on Saturday night at Milwaukee. Following four straight losses by shutout, UIC got two goals from Jesus Perez before six minutes had elapsed. The defense made them stand up the rest of the match resulting in a 2-1 final for the team's first Horizon League win of the season. Perez' goals came just 1:39 apart. Oscar Gonzalez assisted on both tallies.

"Saturday was a step in the right direction," Phillips commented. "The challenge for our guys Tuesday, in addition to facing a good opponent in NIU, is to turn in another high level game. That's something we haven't done yet this year, but I know we're capable of doing."

Perez was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week for his two goal outburst. He became the team's points leader with his four point night. He has seven on the season and leads Gonzalez by two. The two are tied for the squad's assist lead with three each.

Northern Illinois enters on a two game losing streak. They were shut out by Milwaukee in their last outing, 1-0, on a 29th minute goal. The teams have one other common opponent, DePaul, and share a common result, a 3-2 win over the Blue Demons in overtime. Earlier this year, NIU handed then-#10 Omaha their lone loss of the season.

Alex Welch has three goals and two assists, and has scored on a remarkable 56% of his shots on goal. Noah Brodie leads the Huskies with three assists. Drew Donnally and Konrad Dziedzic have each played four games in goal, with Dziedzic taking the reins in the last three outings. Dziedzic owns the squad's lone shutout, but Donnally has outpaced him in goals allowed (1.67 vs. 2.25) and save percentage (.750 vs. .571).

The Huskies have not visited Flames Field since 2003, which was also the Flames' last win in the series. That contest capped a seven match winning streak for UIC. Northern Illinois took the next two encounters, and the teams tied last season in DeKalb. The Flames peppered NIU with 25 shots, and doubled up the Huskies in shots on goal, but managed just a 1-1 draw.

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, four Flames – Jesus Perez, Oscar Gonzalez, Jose Fuentes, and Joel Leon – 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 84th minute against Wright State and was absent from the starting lineup for the first time all year against Northwestern. He returned to play all 90 minutes at Milwaukee. Fuentes has one of the Flames' goals this season and is tied for third on the team with two points.

JUGGLING THE STARTERS: Eight different First XI's have been deployed over the first eight matches. Twenty players have at least one start. Only three players (Gonzalez, Perez, Garcia) have started every match. Jacob Graiber made his first start as a Flame at Milwaukee. 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: 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.

GO WITH O.G.: Oscar Gonzalez has been a catalyst for the Flames' offense. He leads the team in shots (25) and is second in shots on goal (9). He took a team-high five shots against Northwestern. He one of two Flames with a goal and an assist, and is second on the team with five points.

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. Perez' brace in a span of just 1:39 is believed to be the second fastest a player has scored two goals in team history.

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 tied for the team lead with three assists and is third in the conference with two goals. 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 (39).

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 three games, the Flames are ninth in the nation with 7.13 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. The only goal he allowed to Milwaukee was on a penalty kick, as he saved both shots the Panthers put on net during the run of play. He is second in the Horizon League with 4.33 saves per game and has a .722 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 has played the whole 90 minutes in every game since.

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 69th-minute sub against Wright State, and started and played the full 90 at Northwestern and at Milwaukee.

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.

Print Friendly Version