UIC continues an important, difficult portion of its schedule with a road match at Wright State Saturday night.  The Flames (8-3, 3-1 HL) could claim sole possession of first place in the Horizon League with a win over the Raiders (8-1-1, 3-0 HL), who are ranked 11^th by Top Drawer Soccer.

"Their current head coach Jake Slemker was a former assistant and former standout for Wright State, and it's not a surprise they're doing this well," head coach Sean Phillips said.  "They've always had talent, they've always had good coaching, and I think it's great that Jake has taken this opportunity and done a very good job with this group this year thus far.  Wright State has been a very quality opponent the last several years."

The two teams have vied for regular season and tournament titles, meeting nine times since 2012.  Seven of those matches have been draws or one-goal results.  "Every time we've played Wright State, it's come down to which team made the most important play," Phillips continued.  "In our regular season meeting last year here at UIC, we hit a post and they didn't.  And that changed the game.  And I would expect that it's going to come down to who does better in the larger number of key moments in this game, as it has the last several years."

The Flames control their destiny in the Horizon League, but will have to navigate matches with the teams who were ranked second through fourth in the preseason poll, all in the next 14 days.  Their cumulative remaining schedule is the seventh-toughest in the nation, as the team's remaining opponents have a combined .648 winning percentage.

Nestor Garcia on the Wright State Rivalry

 
Last Time Out

• The Flames dropped a 3-1 decision to Cleveland State last Saturday, marking their first Horizon League loss of the season.
• The Vikings' Vlad Jandric scored early and often, netting two goals by the 14th minute and finishing the hat trick in the second half.
• Max Todd scored with assists from Cristian Sanchez and Nestor Garcia.
• The loss snapped a 12-game Horizon League winning streak (including regular season and tournament matches) dating to last Sept. 23.

Flames to Watch

• Jesus Perez is second in the NCAA with nine assists and 0.9 per game. Oscar Gonzalez and Markell Saddler are tied for 20th, with five assists each.
• Saddler leads the Horizon League in goals and points within conference play.
• Max Todd leads the team with seven goals, four of which have been game-winners.
• Todd, Saddler (twice), Perez, and Josiah Ash each have a brace this year.
• Sawyer Jackman's five shutouts lead the conference. His .800 save percentage ranks second.

Scouting Wright State

• Wright State suffered its first loss of the season Tuesday, 2-1 to #6 Virginia. The team remains unbeaten in Horizon League play.
• The Raiders have scored three or more goals in six of ten games.
• Three players have at least six goals as Wright State leads the Horizon League in scoring. Stefan Rokvic has two braces. Alec Phillipe has a two-goal game and a hat trick.
• Joel Sundell has two shutouts and a 1.28 goals against average.

Raider Rumblings

• The fairly even rivalry between two teams consistently at the top of the Horizon League table dates back to 1991 and spans 34 matches.
• The teams met in the Horizon League tournament in three of four years between 2013 and 2016. UIC went 2-1 in those matches.
• Neither team has won more than three in a row in the series' history.

Statistically Speaking

• The Flames are second in the NCAA in assists, behind only undefeated and consensus #1 Wake Forest. Jesus Perez is second on the national individual assist table, with 9 on the season.
• UIC's 8-3 start is the program's best 11-game record since 2013. The Flames also went 8-3 to begin the 2013 campaign. That team went on to win its final seven regular season matches and finished the season 16-4-0, and a perfect 7-0-0 in Horizon League play.
• Max Todd ranks fifth in the nation with four game-winning goals. He is eighth in shots on goal per game (2.10), 21st in total goals (7), and 26th in goals per game (0.70).
• Oscar Gonzalez and Markell Saddler are in a tie for 20th in total assists (5).
• Sawyer Jackman's five shutouts rank him tenth in the nation.