Makena Shaw and Megan Bowman each scored, as UIC fended off IUPUI 2-1 in the season finale Wednesday night.  Shaw's goal came early on a heads-up play, and Bowman netted her team-high fourth of the season in the 77^th minute after IUPUI had drawn level.

David Nikolic's Summary
"One thing we've said about our team is they fight the whole time.  We were dangerous, we got in a couple of times and they called offside.  We were in behind and we made exciting passes.  We were playing quickly so it's a culmination of the effort.  The way they're playing now is the way we want Flames soccer to be in the future.  That type of ball movement and attack and free-flowing ideas are what I wanted to have when we got here, and it's what we'll push for."

Turning Points

• Shaw scored in the 10^th minute by staying with the play.  The Flames sent a long ball into the final third, where IUPUI played it back to the keeper.  AP Woodall tried to send it upfield, but Shaw was in front of her and deflected her kick back into the net.
• IUPUI got the goal back at the beginning of the second half.  Maya Locagnato sent a short cross to Elizabeth Bueckers.  When Sara Sanabria came off her line at an angle, Bueckers finished past her to the far post.
• UIC scored the game-winner on a set piece.  Kaitlyn Montague offered a free kick from the right flank.  It hit the ground inside the box, bounded over two Jaguar defenders, and went to Bowman who finished with one touch.

Match Details
UIC set the tone from the outset in their season-closing win over IUPUI.  An early corner kick resulted in a shot on goal, and after they continued to apply pressure, they had a 10^th-minute lead.  "One of the things we talk about is high press.  I saw the chance, it was a slow ball, I went in there and the goalie kicked it right to my foot and there it is," said Makena Shaw, after scoring her first career goal.

"You get a goal like that from Makena, and it's not luck," Nikolic added.  "It's the work you put in to get the pressure.  People can say that's luck, but she put in a lot of work to get there and the ball went in the right direction.  That's something that hasn't happened for us a lot this year.  We've been in those areas and it hasn't crossed the line.  Today we got rewarded for it."

Shaw nearly repeated her feat in the 22^nd minute when Woodall sent a ball out of her box, with Shaw very close by looking for another deflection.  She finished with two shots on goal in 62 minutes.  "We've been working on triangle passes, high press, staying connected the whole game," she said.  We've been working on it in practice and we showed it tonight.  Getting that win was something we've been looking for the whole season, so I'm glad we got that W tonight."

Meanwhile, UIC's defense did not allow IUPUI to get into dangerous areas.  Lauren Keiser, who made her first career start, was called upon to make three saves in the first half, each of which was routine.  Late in the half, Allie Tefend made a sliding kick deep in the right corner to disrupt a Jaguar advance and allow her teammates to regroup.

"Brielle Gomez, Grace Haines, Yulexi Diaz, Jelena Zbiljic, and Allie T all did a lockdown job," Nikolic said in praise of his defense.  "Both goalkeepers were really good today as well.  So we've got a lot to look forward to.  We have a young back line, only Grace Haines will be a senior, and we've got people coming in who will contribute.  We're excited about the future."

Sara Sanabria relieved Keiser for the second half.  She allowed a 50^th-minute goal but got credit for the win when Bowman netted the game-winner some 26 minutes later.  "We've been in those spots before and the ball has been there, but the players weren't there.  Or the players were there but the ball misses by a little bit," Nikolic said of his team's set piece execution.  "This time, the ball's there, the player's there, and it went in."

Winning plays down the stretch by UIC's back line prevented IUPUI from mounting anything that threatened to tie the match again.  The Flames finished with an efficient eight shots on goal, coming from 13 total attempts, and allowed only five Jaguar offerings to go toward the target.  Bowman had a game high three shots, all of which were on goal.

Montague posted her second assist of the year, giving her the team lead for the second straight season.  She scored three goals, ranking second on the Flames.  Sanabria's win was the first of her freshman campaign.  She and Keiser will both return next year, while Lena Kurz departs as the program's top goalkeeper in every single-season and career statistical category.