UIC returns to conference play against the Horizon League's newest member, IUPUI, on Saturday night.  The Flames (3-5-1, 1-2 HL) will look to get back to the .500 mark in conference play against the Jaguars (0-8-0, 0-3 HL), who are in their first season as members of the Horizon League.

"I'm excited to play IUPUI as a member of the Horizon League.  They've been a great opponent in exhibition and spring competition and our games have always been very competitive," head coach Sean Phillips said.  "We've always had to play our best to get a result versus IUPUI and I expect nothing different this Saturday.

"I expect Coach Barnett will have his team well prepared for Saturday.  We have to continue to strive for consistency in our performances in all areas of the game."

The Flames are on a two match winning streak overall, with their 3-1 win over Northern Illinois Tuesday marking the first time this season that they have won consecutive games.  All the scoring came in the second half.  It was started by Oscar Gonzalez, and then after the Huskies tied the score, Max Todd and Peter Becht added goals to keep the Flames out in front.

UIC set the pace of play for most of the match against the Huskies, and was rewarded with a 16-5 edge in shots.  Ten players had at least one shot, tying a season high.  Nine of the Flames' attempts came on goal, as they continued to turn out quality looks.  The team is second in the conference in shots and shots on goal per game.  Gonzalez (28) and Jesus Perez (25) lead the squad in shots.  The pair, along with Todd, are the only Flames with multiple goals this season as each has put two balls in the net.

Goalkeeper Sawyer Jackman leveled his record at 3-3-1 by going the distance against NIU and turning away one of only two shots that the Huskies put on goal.  The Flames' back line has put together three straight quality showings.  They have made it hard for opponents to get clean final touches, disrupting passes in the box and clearing the ball with regularity.  The group has allowed less than 10 shots in two of the last three contests.

IUPUI has yet to win a game this season.  They have scored just one goal in three Horizon League matches, and have been shut out in their last four matches overall.  Pedro Valladao leads the Jaguars with three points and is one of three players with a goal this season.  Michael Buck and Tyler Shanahan have evenly split the goalkeeping duties.

The two squads have just one official meeting in their history, a 2-2 draw at Flames Field in 2012.  UIC has had success against newcomers to the Horizon League.  During the previous two rounds of expansion, the Flames defeated Oakland and Northern Kentucky in their respective first Horizon League seasons.

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, three Flames – Jesus Perez, Oscar Gonzalez, 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 84^th 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, but logged a season-low 45 minutes against NIU.  Fuentes has one of the Flames' goals this season and is tied for fourth on the team with two points.

JUGGLING THE STARTERS: Nine different First XI's have been deployed over the first nine 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 and was back in the lineup against NIU.

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.  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.

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 (28) and is second in shots on goal (10).  He took a team-high five shots against Northwestern and also paced the Flames against Northern Illinois.  He one of three Flames with a goal and an assist, and is tied for first on the team with eight 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.

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 four 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 35 corner kicks – almost as many as all Flames opponents have attempted all season (44).

RACKING UP CORNER KICKS: UIC's offensive pressure has resulted in bountiful chances to take corner kicks.  The Flames are second in the Horizon League and 11^th in the nation with 6.78 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 fifth in the Horizon League with 3.86 saves per game and has a .711 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.

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 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 and at Milwaukee.  He scored his first career goal against Northern Illinois.

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.