Looking to shake off a loss at Northern Kentucky, UIC will return to the pitch at Flames Field for a highly anticipated match with Wright State Saturday night.  Not only is it a key Horizon League battle, but it is Alumni and Friends Night.  The 1999 team will receive a special recognition on the 20^th anniversary of their NCAA Tournament season.

The Flames and Raiders met in last year's Horizon League championship.  UIC claimed the title with a 3-1 win in Dayton.  The squads were picked in the top two spots of this year's preseason poll, but in the tumultuous Horizon League, they find themselves on opposite ends of the table.  The Flames (2-1 in conference) are amongst a group of three teams tied for third place with six points.  The Raiders (1-2) sit tied for seventh.

"I'm looking forward to playing Wright State on Saturday," Sean Phillips said.  "These teams have a history of some very competitive matches and very good soccer.  They have a proven attack, a proven goalkeeper, and a solid back line.  With both teams coming off of league losses, the three points up for grabs are vital to both teams' goals in Horizon League play and beyond."

Wright State has won the last two meetings in Chicago.  They were the last team to beat UIC at Flames Field before the Flames started their current 18-match home winning streak, which is the longest in the nation.

Phillips praised the 1999 team ahead of their reunion.  "It was a talented group, and one of the first group of alums to introduce themselves when I arrived here in 2005.  They were tremendous players with tremendous personalities who ended a 31 year span between postseason play at UIC.  Every successful team I've had here has been modeled after that '99 group – Chicago kids, talented yet overlooked, with that chip on their shoulder and a blue collar attitude."

The 1999 squad went 17-4, including a program record 12-match winning streak.  They won the Midwestern City conference (as the Horizon League was then known) championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  It was UIC's first NCAA squad since 1968.  "They had Hall of Famers like Jay Demerit and Eric Lukin, both of whom went on to play professionally, and a Hall of Fame coach in Sasha Begovic.  It's going to be great to have them back on campus," Phillips concluded.

Last Time Out

• The Flames fell in a wild match at Northern Kentucky, 3-2 on Saturday.
• Bar Hazut scored on a penalty kick and Bukola Abdulwahab sent a perfect strike between the keeper and the post from a close, short angle.
• Including Abdulwahab's goal, three goals were scored in the last 12 minutes.

Flames to Watch

• Jesus Perez has a Horizon League-high and ranks fifth nationally with seven total assists on the season.
• Hazut has provided abundant offense in his first season, having scored eight goals to lead the Horizon League and rank 14th nationally.
• Roberto Alonzo's four goals are second on the squad and fifth in the conference.

Scouting the Raiders

• Wright State has lost its last two Horizon League games, a pair of one-goal defeats surrounding a draw at Duke.
• In their overtime loss to Oakland Saturday, Jackson Dietrich and Ids Hannema each scored in the first half hour.  Wright State was kept off the board for the final 70 minutes.
• Stefan Rokvic has a team high six goals.  Dietrich leads the squad with four assists, while Deri Corfe has the most points (13).
• Joel Sundell has a .750 save percentage and a 1.65 goals-against average.

A Top-10 Offense

• UIC's relentless attack has placed the team in the top 10 in several categories in the latest NCAA rankings.
• The Flames are fourth in the nation in shots per game (18.6) and are second in shots on goal per game (8.3).
• UIC has scored 28 total goals, good for fifth in the country, with 2.6 per game ranking sixth.
• The team is also sixth in total assists, with 29, which works out to 2.6 per game and a seventh place showing.
• With 85 points, UIC has yet another fourth place ranking.  The Flames are fifth with 7.7 points per game.