UIC fell to Oakland, 3-1, in a Horizon League semifinal Thursday afternoon. The Flames tied the match on an
Eduardo Garcia goal topped off a torrent of activity in the final third. But two penalty kicks by the Golden Grizzlies put them on top to stay.
Sean Phillips' Summary
"Congratulations to Oakland. In games like this, especially in tournament play, it comes down to which team makes the most plays. This afternoon, Oakland, to their credit, made enough plays. I felt that we scored a deserved goal to pull it even in the second half. They made a couple of plays in transition, which they're very good at doing, and that made the difference today."
Turning Points
- Oakland drew first blood in the 19th minute. An initial serve into the box was headed out, but only to the foot of Owen Smith. He found an open Noah Jensen at the top of the box for an unimpeded shot.
- Garcia's 64th-minute goal was a beautiful effort, curled inside the far post. Andres Moreno played him forward, where he juked a defender and buried the shot.
- Andres Vasquez was called for a foul as he tried to make a play on a free ball. The resulting penalty put Oakland back on top, and another one four minutes later sealed the result.
Match Summary
For much of the match, UIC was able to exert control. The Flames outshot Oakland 19-9 (10-4 on goal), and had possession for 58% throughout. Transition opportunities were golden for the Grizzlies, though, as both of their second half penalty kicks were awarded before UIC could get its defense set.
Oakland did have stretches of time on the front foot. Vasquez had to make an early chin-level save, and
Pau Mateo did well to strip the ball from a runner who had advanced into the box. Following Oakland's goal, the home team executed two corner kicks, each of which portended danger until a Flame made a play.
When UIC took control during the first half, the finesse they needed to finish was lacking. An early shot by
Nkusuwila Zulu was saved, and
Alwin Seitz had a shot go wide, and a free kick right outside the box go into Oakland's wall.
"We were a little flat to get started, on road at the #1 seed," Phillips observed. "I do think we limited their dangerous chances to just the one, and they scored on it. While we didn't keep the ball as we wanted to, we limited their chances. They made the play in the first half and we had to chase a goal."
In the second half, by contrast, UIC had much better control of the match and of their own chances. For a 10-minute span starting with a corner kick in the 55', their fans started to believe that it was just a matter of time before one went into the net.
Garcia started things by working in deep for a shot that gave them that corner kick.
Christian Crespo, who was around the ball frequently, drew a foul in the box, putting
Alwin Seitz on the spot. His penalty kick was saved, but the Flames didn't stop.
Josh Torres played Moreno into the box, where he faced only the keeper, who made a big play.
Bukola Abdulwahab, held in check for much of the match, took a shot from an angle that he had previously proven was within his range.
Finally, Garcia got the Flames on the board. After taking Moreno's pass, he reversed direction nicely before sending the shot past Finn Jurak.
Just as quickly as UIC leveled the match, Oakland pulled back ahead. Vasquez was forced to run to the edge of his box to stop an attacker, and got too much of his body for the referee to let go. Then, after an arm hook on a free runner, Vasquez guessed right and nearly got a fingertip on a well-placed kick to his right.
"In the second half we made some changes and asked guys to to do things better. They did that," Phillips stated. "I felt we earned the penalty. Their goalkeeper made several good saves, including on the penalty, but to our guys' credit, we kept fighting and scratching and plugging along. After we got the goal, Oakland caught us in transition and earned a penalty. They convert, and we're chasing the game. And in chasing, they make another play to put it out of reach."
Abdulwahab, who was one of four Flames with three shots, and
Josiah Ash each had shots down the stretch that UIC desperately needed, but could not get past an anchored Oakland defense. The Flames finish the season with a 9-8-2 record.
