INDIANAPOLIS – UIC (2-10-0, 0-3-0 HL) was faced with a 2-0 deficit Wednesday night and responded in the final 10 minutes to come within one but it was not enough as IUPUI (9-3-0, 3-0-0 HL) pulled away with the 2-1 win at Carroll Stadium.
Emily Valentine scored the lone goal for the Flames off a penalty kick, serving as just the second PK goal in program history after alum
Jasmin Carrera put one away in 2015. The tally was also just the second scored against the Jaguars in their last eight games.
UIC was limited to nine shots in the match while IUPUI made 19 attempts. Valentine,
Olivia Everin,
Rebeca Pallo,
Naomi Rushe,
Tamae Douglas and
Jessica Christmas made up the looks for the Flames, with Valentine, Rushe and Everin each getting one shot on goal.
Annie DiCanio played her first minutes since facing Middle Tennessee (Sept. 10) and went the complete game and stopped four of the Jaguars' shots.
While the Flames were credited with the first shot of the game off the foot of Everin in the fourth minute, it was IUPUI who put up the first tally as Jessica Flores received a feed from Krissy Kirkhoff and Hayley Shelton to take the 1-0 lead in the 11th minute of play.
In the following 10 minutes, DiCanio came up with two big saves on the next five shots taken by the Jaguars. UIC then took the ball to its end of the field where Rushe attempted a shot that came as the Flames' first shot on goal. Pallo followed in the 27th minute and nearly tied the match but had her shot hit off the crossbar.
Both teams were quiet on the offensive front until halftime neared. Pallo struck first and had her look go wide before Valentine tried to put up an attempt but was blocked. IUPUI then came up with two shots with DiCanio making one save with seconds to go in the first half.
The Jaguars came out of the break and put up three shots in the first five minutes, but all came off the mark before UIC got its first look on a shot sent wide from Pallo in the 58th minute.
After a great defensive clearance from the Flames, IUPUI broke back for the 2-0 advantage at the 60 minute mark as Kirkhoff won on a one-on-one off a pass from Shelton. The Jaguars tried to put in another four minutes later but DiCanio jabbed the ball out.
UIC forced the IUPUI keeper to make a touch on the ball for just the second time in the game in the 74th minute as Everin got a shot off a cross from
Autumn Rasmussen but it was knocked over the goal.
The attack continued for the Flames as they maintained possession and had an attempt from Douglas come in the 81st minute that was blocked.
Two minutes later, a foul in the box was called on the Jaguars, setting up UIC with a penalty kick. Valentine stepped up the mark and converted for her first goal of the season, and second of her career, to put the Flames within one. However, it would serve as the final shot of the game for the Flames while IUPUI took three more looks.
UIC will head back home where it is scheduled to host Cleveland State at Flames Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The first 150 UIC students will receive a women's soccer Kicking Cancer t-shirt.
