UIC will return to action against Detroit Mercy Tuesday afternoon.

The Flames, who enter play in fourth place in the Horizon League, have had to wait an extra week for a chance to bounce back from a loss to IUPUI due to COVID protocols and the cancellation of the match against Milwaukee.

"It's been a whole semester of new routines, so it's not out of the ordinary for us to adapt and deal with more adversity.  The tough part was trying to adapt and return right before a game," Dustin Downey said.  "We've put together a plan and the girls are ready to play."

With just two matches remaining, and only the top four teams advancing to the postseason tournament, every opportunity is crucial.  Teams will be ranked by points per match to determine the qualifiers.  The Flames finished second in last season's regular season standings, and can still finish as high as first with two wins and favorable results around the league.

"We're facing a good opponent in Detroit Mercy.  We keep telling the girls to take care of our business, and everything else will fall where it may," Downey said.  "All we can do is focus on the controllables.  Our future is in our hands as long as we do what we need to do, so it's on us."
 
OPENING KICK

• UIC will return to action against Detroit Mercy.
• It will be the second straight road match for the Flames, and the third overall match played outdoors.
• UIC enters play in fourth place in the Horizon League standings, and in possession of the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament. The league table is sorted by points per match this season.

SCOUTING THE TITANS

• Detroit Mercy snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1, 2OT win over Robert Morris last week.
• Julie Ann Piechocki scored the golden goal against the Colonials, and is the only Titan with multiple goals (2 - both game-winners).
• Marisa Silver has a 1.79 GAA and a .639 save percentage.

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE

• UIC has the third stingiest defense in the Horizon League. They have allowed only four goals this season. League leader IUPUI has allowed two.
• The Flames' overall save percentage, .840, ranks third in the conference.
• With 3 shutouts, UIC is third in the conference.

SPRINGING A TRAPP

• Louise Trapp had goals in consecutive games, as she headed in the first, and game-winning, goal against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• She scored her first collegiate goal with just 10 seconds to play against Wright State, when she headed in a pass from 12 yards out. She took a season high four shots, all on goal, against the Raiders.
• Trapp has two assists this year, in consecutive games against Youngstown State and Robert Morris.
• The freshman has started every match of the season and has played the full 90 minutes twice.

TITAN TILTS

• UIC has won three straight against Detroit Mercy to pull even in the all-time series, 3-3.
• The Titans shut out the Flames in the first two meetings in 2014 and 2015, and outscored UIC 5-1 over their three wins.
• UIC has a 6-0 aggregate advantage in the last three matches.
• This will be the second straight meeting in Detroit. UIC has won the last two, by 3-0 and 1-0 scores.