CHICAGO – The long awaited start of the 2018 season is here for UIC women's soccer as it opens play this weekend at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas. The Flames are slated to take on host UNLV on Friday night at 9 p.m. CT and concluded their stay Sunday with UC Santa Barbara at noon. Both matches will be played at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
 
PRESEASON PERFORMANCE
UIC went up against Western Illinois in its lone exhibition match of the year last Friday (Aug. 10) at Flames Field. The Leathernecks came away with the 1-0 victory as the Flames fired off nine shots and had three on goal.
 
24-WOMAN ROSTER
In its fifth season of competition, UIC will be working with a roster of 24, comprised of 14 returners and 10 newcomers. The upperclassmen will be outnumbered, 9-15, but they boast a wealth of experience and talent to help guide the Flames in the winning direction.
 
Of the returners on the offensive side, the Flames will have 2017 leading goal scorer and shot producer junior Tamae Douglas, who landed on the All-Horizon League Second Team last season. She is joined by seniors Naomi Rushe and Rebeca Pallo and junior defender Emily Valentine, who combined for eight goals and were the only other players to have 10+ shots apiece last season.
 
Valentine is one of five returners who will be on the back line this year, along with seniors Alexis Jakuszewski and Jennifer Saviski and sophomores Janai Cedeno and Meaghan Smith. Annie Brown, Chiara Ferraro, Kaitlyn Mauder and Bridget Paulon make up the freshmen group that will look to hold off the opposition.
 
After losing Anne DiCanio and Kelly Fritz to graduation, junior Tara Khayam will be the lone goalkeeper to hold any collegiate experience between the posts as she is joined by freshmen Faith Davies and Haley Leanna. Last season, Khayam played 418 minutes, made 20 saves, produced a 1.73 goals-against average and tallied one shared shutout.
 
BUILDING OFF 2017
While improving both its win and goal totals in each of the last four seasons, 2017 was the best yet for the women's soccer program. UIC went 7-13-0 overall and 5-4-0 in the Horizon League to clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time in program history with the No. 5 seed for the conference tournament.
 
The Flames racked up 22 goals with 15 of those coming in the second half of the season, when they went 5-5 with all five wins coming in conference play. A program record 272 shots were taken with 111 coming on goal.
 
Defensively, UIC allowed just three goals in the final six conference games of the regular season while overall it held opponents to the program's second-lowest totals in goals (32), shots (277) and shots on goal (123). The strong presense on the back line allowed the goalkeeping squad to post the program's best GAA at 1.59.
 
WEEKEND OPPONENTS
UNLV is coming off a 13-7-0 campaign with a 5-6-0 mark in the Mountain West. The Rebels notched 41 goals and 35 assists while they took 162 shots. While without leading producer Sophie Cortes (12 G, 8 A, 80 S, 33 SOG), UNLV will have Michaela Morris and Amanda Galbraith, who combined for 15 goals, 14 assists and 104 shots. Elly Reynada is the only returning keeper after she played 313 minutes, made 14 saves and owned a 2.59 GAA last season.
 
UC Santa Barbara went 6-8-5 in 2017 with a 2-4-2 record in the Big West. The squad totaled 24 goals, 23 assists and 238 shots. Christine Maurer and Shaelan Murison will be the only returners who had more than one goal last season with a combined nine. The Gauchos are without experience on the goalkeeping front after losing last year's starting duo.
 
It will be the first ever meeting for the Flames with UNLV and UC Santa Barbara this weekend.