UIC will open postseason play for just the second time in program history Thursday afternoon.  The second-seeded Flames will take on #5 Northern Kentucky in a Horizon League semifinal in Milwaukee.

The Flames earned the #2 seed, and a bye to the semifinals, by virtue of their best-ever 7-2 record in conference play.  In doing so, they became the only team other than #1 Milwaukee to ever reach seven Horizon League wins since the conference moved to a nine-match schedule in 2015.

The team last appeared in the conference tournament in 2017.  In between, they went 4-14-1 last season, making their overall 11-5-1 record this season good for the fifth-best turnaround in the country.

UIC enters the postseason on a five-match winning streak.  They have allowed just one goal in that span.  Offensively, they have put together a late season surge with 13 goals over the last five matches.  The team averaged less than a goal per game before embarking on their current streak.

Kickoff will be at 4 pm.  All tournament matches can be seen on ESPN+.  The winner will advance to the Horizon League championship match on Saturday at 6 pm.

Last Time Out

• The Flames won their program-record fifth straight game, 2-0 over Oakland Friday on Senior Night at Flames Field.
• Senior Autumn Rasmussen scored her first goal of the season.
• Megan Bowman added her fourth goal.
• Lena Kurz had a career high 10 saves.  It was her ninth shutout.

Flames to Watch

• UIC had an all-time high eight Horizon League postseason awards among six players and the head coach.
• Lena Kurz is the Goalkeeper of the Year and a First Team All-League pick.  Tamae Douglas joins her on the first team.
• Emily Valentine and Emma Main are on the Second Team.
• Jackie Santibanez and Grace Haines are All-Freshman Team members.

Scouting the Norse

• Northern Kentucky won a quarterfinal match over Wright State, 3-1.
• Horizon League Player of the Year Shawna Zaken had a brace.
• Zaken led the conference with 13 goals and 29 points.
• Mimi Stines has a 1.32 goals-against average & a .796 save percentage.

Nationally Ranked

• UIC is in the NCAA's top 20 in several key defensive categories.
• The team has a save percentage of .863, which is 11^th in the nation.
• UIC has posted 11 shutouts, for a .647 shutout percentage.  Both of those numbers rank 14^th in the country.
• The .577 cumulative goals-against average is the nation's 19^th best team total.

Tournament History

• UIC has played in just one Horizon League tournament match, a quarterfinal loss at Wright State in 2017. 
• Tamae Douglas headed in a corner kick to give UIC a 1-0 lead, but the Raiders scored two unanswered goals for a 2-1 win.  She took three shots, all on goal, and played the full 90 minutes. 
• Two of Emily Valentine's four shots were on goal in a 90-minute effort.  Keri Birkenhead took one shot in 52 minutes.  Autumn Rasmussen and Jessica Christmas each came off the bench to play 48 and 27 minutes, respectively.  Janai Cedeno had a shot on goal in her 47-minute shift.

The First Meeting

• The Flames defeated Northern Kentucky, 1-0 on September 28.
• Emma Main scored the goal, heading in a beautiful cross from Emily Kavanaugh.
• It was the first win over NKU in program history.
• Lena Kurz stood tall in goal to record the shutout. She made three saves, including a penalty kick. It was the team's third straight clean sheet, and Kurz' sixth.
• Tamae Douglas made winning plays on the back line, frequently disrupting the Norse, and became the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week.