Horizon League play begins Saturday when Green Bay visits Flames Field.
UIC won its last two home matches and is 3-1 on the season. The league opener comes in the midst of the schedule's longest homestand. Admission to Flames Field for the 7 pm kickoff is free.
"It's always good to get a result in front of your home fans. We had the focus and the discipline required to do so against two tough opponents last week,"
Sean Phillips said. "Our challenge to the team this week has been to sharpen that focus to the level it takes to compete against a quality Horizon League team that got the better of us at their place last year."
The Flames and Phoenix met in the Horizon League championship match two years ago. This season, the teams were picked second and third respectively in the conference's preseason poll.
Last Time Out
- UIC won its 15th consecutive home game, dating back to 2017, with a 3-0 win over Western Illinois Sunday.
- Sokratis Vasilas turned in the first clean sheet of his career. He faced only two shots on goal and turned them both away.
- Bar Hazut had a brace. It was his second straight match scoring two or more goals.
- Eduardo Garcia contributed the first goal of his career.
Flames to Watch
- Hazut is the national Player of the Week by United Soccer Coaches. He also made the Team of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News. He scored five goals in UIC's two matches last weekend.
- Vasilas is the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week. His .810 save percentage is second in the league, and he is third in goals-against average.
- Bukie Abdulwahab is tied for the conference lead with three assists.
Scouting the Phoenix
- Green Bay suffered its first loss of the season in its last match. They dropped a 4-0 decision to Western Michigan.
- The Phoenix previously tied Valparaiso and defeated Western Illinois – common opponents against whom UIC went 2-0.
- Five different players each have one goal. Lucian Lang has two assists.
Green Bay Grudge Matches
- Green Bay is UIC's most frequently played opponent. The sides have met in regular season play every year since UIC moved to Division I, and have an additional seven postseason meetings.
- The Phoenix hold a slim 23-21-1 edge in the all-time series.
- Before Green Bay won last year's meeting in Wisconsin, the Flames had won seven straight in the series.
- A win Saturday would pull the Flames even in matches at Flames Field. Green Bay has won twelve of the previous 23 in Chicago.
- The last time Green Bay was UIC's opponent in the conference opener, the Flames earned a 2-0 victory in 2015.
