UIC played Michigan State to a scoreless draw in exhibition play at Flames Field Sunday night.  The Flames looked sharper than their guests throughout the match and ended with an 18-7 edge in shots, 7-1 on goal.

The friendly was a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament first round game.  Michigan State won that encounter, which triggered their run to the College Cup.  Ranked #7 in the preseason poll, the Spartans were held at bay on both ends of the pitch for large segments.

Five of Jesus Perez' game-high seven shots came in the first half, including all three of his attempts on goal.  The most dangerous was a screamer slotted to the lower left that forced Hunter Morse to dive to get his hands on.

In later action, Perez lofted a beautifully placed pass that led Bukola Abdulwahab on the dead run toward Michigan State's goal.  The freshman squared himself for a credible shot on goal but the save was routine.

MSU held possession to start the game and earned a corner kick within the first minute.  Once the Flames got their feet under themselves, chances for the Spartans dwindled.

UIC's best chance to break the deadlock came in the 76^th minute when Lyes Ghezali led Christian Crespo into the zone.  Crespo sent a low pass across the box which seemed destined to connect with Abdulwahab's head outside the far post, until a Spartan nicked the ball off course and over the line.

The Flames had three corner kicks in the last five minutes.  On the second, Jacob Graiber sent a shot low and hard toward the net, forcing a big save by Isiah Handspike.  The Flames ended with a 10-3 advantage in corners.

Sokratis Vasilas, who played the entire 90 minutes, needed to make just one save.

Action got more physical in the final stages.  Three yellow cards were issued in the last three minutes, with Pau Mateo and Manny Cerritos each getting booked for UIC.

No overtime was played.  The Flames will travel to Creighton for the preseason's final exhibition on Saturday.