UIC took a lead into halftime for the second straight match, but Wright State scored twice after intermission, including the game-winner in the 89^th minute, to pull out a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon.

David Nikolic's Summary
"I couldn't be happier with the performance.  The level of intensity, the work rate, the opportunities we created, the attacks, we were all over them in the first half.  We acted on the game plan.  We had great energy from the bench, and the starters played a solid game.  I can't say enough about the unity of the group from start to finish."

Turning Points

• After dominating the entire first half, the Flames scored in the final 20 seconds after a foul in the box.  Megan Bowman stepped to the spot and converted her second penalty kick of the season.
• Wright State pulled even in the 66^th minute.  A save by Lauren Keiser rebounded to Brittney Petroskey, who had an easy finish to make it 1-1.
• Contact by Kathryn Rutledge earned her a yellow card with 1:56 to play.  The free kick, taken from the top of the box, found its way inside the left post.

Match Details
From the beginning of the match, UIC carried possession and dominated on the stat sheet.  The Flames took their first corner kick in the seventh minute.  A transition opportunity shortly thereafter resulted in a shot for Megan Bowman.  UIC peppered the Raider goal with eight first-half shots, including on-goal efforts by Kaitlyn Montague and a pair consecutively by Makena Shaw.

Sara Sanabria made her first start in goal, but was not required to make a save during the first half.  UIC's aggression paid off in the last 17 seconds when the Raiders fouled them inside the area.  Megan Bowman wasted no time in becoming the third Flame to score on multiple penalty kicks in the same season.  Her goal marked the third time on the season that UIC scored first, and gave the team a halftime lead for the second straight match.

After the break, the Flames had a couple of opportunities to double their lead before Wright State took control of more of the match.  A corner kick offered Bowman another shot, and Kaitlyn Montague's 56^th-minute free kick from 32 yards away hit the crossbar.  The ricochet went to Leah Senese, but her shot missed the mark.

"In the first half we had more chances and opportunities.  In the second half we were more stretched out and our chances were farther between," Nikolic said.  "Still, Kaitlyn had a bomb from 25-30 yards out that if it was just a little off, it's a goal.  She's going to be dangerous for the future."

Lauren Keiser made her Flames debut when she took over for Sanabria to start the second half.  She turned away the first three shots she saw, but the third one remained in play for a rebound goal that tied the match.  "We were conceding space too much in critical areas of the field. We defended well on the first play, but not in our reaction to the rebound," Nikolic noted.

Keiser was tested again twice in the last five minutes and was up to the task both times.  It was only a set piece in the 89^th minute that eluded her, giving the Raiders the result.  "We didn't make it easy for her," Nikolic said of the redshirt freshman.  "She handled herself well in some key moments.  We gave away too much space, and too many chances for rebounds, which made it difficult for her.  Both of the keepers did well.  They've worked hard and it's a good time to give them opportunities and see what we have for the future."

Wright State had a 14-4 advantage in shots in the second half, and did not allow the Flames to put a shot on goal in the last 45 minutes.  Bowman and Montague each had three shots on the match, and Senese and Shaw had two apiece.

Nikolic praised additional players who made a difference in the match, if not the stat sheet.  "We got great minutes from Maeve Riordan; probably the longest stretches of time she's been impactful.  Jelena Zbiljic was dynamite.  She's really found herself in the position as an outside back. 

"I'm happy with individual performances and the group.  It's unfortunate the way the game went; we put in an effort deserving of a result, we just didn't get it."

The Flames will close out the season Wednesday night at Flames Field.  They will hold a Kick Cancer breast cancer awareness match against IUPUI.