UIC will take a short break from Horizon League play, turning its attention to local rival Northwestern Tuesday night.  The Flames' Senior Night match will honor the eight seniors on the squad – Mike Jimenez, Nestor Garcia, Max Todd, Oscar Gonzalez, Jaime Alonso, Markell Saddler, Sawyer Jackman, and Jordan Moore – in a ceremony immediately prior to kickoff, which will be at 7:00 at Flames Field.

With wins already this year against DePaul and Loyola, UIC (9-3-1, 4-1-1 HL) has a chance to sweep all three Chicagoland Division I programs for the first time since 2000.  "Getting that sweep would be great," head coach Sean Phillips said.  "It's one of our goals of the year."

Phillips cautioned, "It's not going to be easy.  Northwestern is well coached, disciplined, and after watching them on film they look to be far better than their record (4-6-4, 0-4-2 Big Ten) indicates.  It's going to be a challenge for us to maintain our balance as we try to break them down, and take our chances when we have them because Northwestern doesn't give a lot of quality chances.  It will be a great test for us."

Turning his attention to this year's senior class, Phillips noted that while they have contributed to three trophies here at UIC, there is still time to build upon their legacy.  "This group of seniors, whether they were with us from Day One as freshmen, or if they joined us as transfers, got results on the field that speak for themselves.  They've contributed to the championship culture for which we strive and continued to build on it with a regular season championship as freshmen in 2015, and tournament championships in 2016 and 2017.

"Their mark on this program is not complete.  The challenge to these guys at the end of last year, which continues to this day, was to win another trophy and get into the NCAA tournament.  They still have an opportunity to do that, and would be the first class in UIC history to win trophies in four consecutive years."

When asked what makes this class unique, Phillips pointed to the deep bonds they have forged since before coming to UIC.  Several seniors have played youth soccer, high school, or club ball together, in some cases since they were seven years old.  He acknowledged the contributions to the program's culture that the group has made on the field, in the locker room, and in the classroom.

Northwestern Notes

• With wins already this season over DePaul and Loyola, UIC has a chance to sweep the three Chicagoland Division I teams for the first time since 2000.
• The Flames are second in Division I in assists, behind only #1 Wake Forest. Jesus Perez is second on the national individual assist table, with 10 on the season and 0.83 per game.
• Last time out, the Flames scored the match's first three goals, and pulled out a 4-3 overtime win over Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon.
• Max Todd had a hat trick, including the golden goal.  He is seventh in the nation with 11 goals and 0.92 per game, and was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week.
• The Wildcats won last season's match, as the teams have alternated wins over the last four meetings.  The squads have also alternated wins in the last four games at Flames Field, with Northwestern capturing the last meeting in 2015 in double overtime.