Please note: Fan attendance by the general public is not allowed at Flames Field.
UIC will host Milwaukee in a Horizon League semifinal, rekindling one of their oldest and tightest rivalries.
"Postseason soccer is postseason soccer, especially when playing a long-time rival,"
Sean Phillips said, noting that the all-time series was deadlocked before this season. "The last two times we've played Milwaukee in the playoffs, one went to penalties and one went to overtime. I expect a close, competitive, tightly contested Horizon League playoff game."
The Flames will have gone nearly two weeks between matches due to a late-season cancellation. They have not played since Northern Kentucky snapped their three-match winning streak. As things turned out, no result in the cancelled match would have made a difference in the team's spot in the final league standings.
UIC ended the regular season in the top 25 nationally in goals per game and goal differential.Â
Nkusuwila Zulu, an All-Horizon League selection who led the Flames in goals and assists, is in the top 50 in points per game. Fellow All-League pick
Sokratis Vasilas led the conference, and ranks 20
th in the nation in save percentage, and turned in four shutouts.
Manning the back line in front of Vasilas are Defensive Player of the Year
Jacob Graiber and All-League member
Pau Mateo. The Flames were one of only two conference teams to allow less than one goal per match.
UIC topped Milwaukee early in the season, 2-1, behind goals from All-League First Teamer
Jose Perez Flores and
Christian Crespo. The Panthers got the best of the Flames in a penalty kick shootout after the teams played to a 0-0 draw in last season's semifinal round. Phillips stressed the need for his team to prepare for an opponent capable of scoring more than those results might indicate.
"Their attack has come to life the last several weeks. We are going to have to continue to improve defensively and do all the little things right, in transition especially," he said. "Sometimes in the postseason it comes down to who does the little things the best. Whoever does that will have the knife's edge turn their way Sunday."
The match will kick off at 1 pm Sunday, and can be seen on ESPN+.
OPENING KICK
- UIC will play Milwaukee in a Horizon League semifinal.
- The Flames originally qualified as the #3 seed in the conference tournament, but were moved up to #2 after Covid-related issues in the Oakland program. Milwaukee moved from #4 to #3.
- Both teams appear in this week's United Soccer Coaches North Region rankings, with UIC at #6 and Milwaukee at #10. UIC is receiving votes in the Top Drawer Soccer national poll.
HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- All-Horizon League first teamer Paolo Gratton has nine goals this season.
- Freshman of the Year Logan Farrington has five goals and two assists.
- Milwaukee won three straight to close the regular season, by a combined score of 10-1.
- Nick Chiappa played nine of 10 matches, posting a 1.11 goals-against average and a .697 save percentage.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- UIC has won six Horizon League tournament titles - most in league history.
- The Flames three-peated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. They also won the tournament in 1999, 2000, and 2007.
- The #2 seed has been very kind to the Flames. They have been the #2 seed three times, and have won the tournament each time (2016, 2017, 2018).
- The Flames are unbeaten in their last seven tournament matches (5-0-2).
- UIC is 3-2-1 against Milwaukee in tournament play. Five of those meetings have been in the semifinals, where UIC is 3-1-1.
- UIC has played Milwaukee in a home tournament game twice, winning 2-0 in the 2000 semifinals and drawing 0-0 in the 2019 semis.
PANTHER PAIRINGS
- UIC nosed ahead of Milwaukee in the all-time series, 17-16-5, with their win early this season.
- Milwaukee tied and won the previous two meetings, ending a four-match Flames winning streak.
- Each of the last nine matches has been decided by zero or one goals, with four of them going to overtime.
