UIC fell to Northern Kentucky in a Horizon League semifinal match Sunday.  The Norse avenged a UIC win in the same round last season with a 3-0 result on their home turf.

"We played some of our best soccer today, but we weren't good where we needed to be, inside the 18s," Dustin Downey said.  "We didn't get in theirs enough, and we didn't stop them in ours.  Between the 18s we had some good play.  It was some of our best soccer of the season, which is encouraging."

Northern Kentucky went up by a goal in the sixth minute, but the Flames were undeterred and prevented the Norse from adding on until deep in the second half.  "The girls responded well.  It's not great to be 1-0 down, but that wasn't a reflection on their attitudes.  From the end of first half into the second, there were 25-30 minutes that I thought we were going to get a goal and tie it up. 

"They squeaked in a second one on us and I changed things up a little.  We pushed numbers higher so we had less back, and they got one more to make it 3-0.  I have to give NKU credit.  They're good at what they do and they're tough to score on.  There's a reason they're 8-1-1 and undefeated in our conference."

Northern Kentucky scored twice in a five-minute span to douse the Flames' hopes of a comeback.

"These moments are invaluable," Downey concluded.  "We got a lot of our young players experience in this setting and they will grow and get better.  We're building a team with a lot of young players so hopefully, a couple years down the road we'll be a strong, veteran team."

The Flames close the season with a 5-3-1 record.  They qualified for the conference tournament for the second straight year, marking the first time that they have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons.

Match Highlights

• The Norse scored quickly when Kiley Keehan was sprung free on a run.  Lena Kurz came out to play the ball, but Keehan avoided her and tapped the ball into the net.
• Kurz made a save in the 19^th minute, but the Flames defense did not allow another shot to bother her the rest of the first half.  Things were equally rough for UIC, who were not able to attempt a shot in a rainy first half.
• Louise Trapp got things going after the break with a shot on goal two minutes into the second half.  Kurz made the save of the match in the 57^th minute.  A Norse corner kick found Kailey Ivins inside the six.  She blasted a header on goal, but Kurz' reflexes were good enough to stop it.
• Makena Shaw had the next good chance for the Flames.  A few minutes later, the bounces helped and then hurt UIC.  A shot went high over Kurz – maybe nicking her fingertips – before bouncing off the woodwork and away from the frame.  In the ensuing action, a shot from inside the box took a deflection off Grace Haines and away from where Kurz was moving, into the empty part of the net.
• NKU's final goal came in transition, with UIC unable to send significant numbers back.  Sofia Wilmes was played into the box and snuck a shot past Kurz, off the post and in.
• Two tries by the Flames in the last minutes were saved by NKU's backup keeper, who was part of a wave of subs with five minutes to play.

Facts and Figures

• UIC's starters were the same eleven who began the last two matches.
• The Flames managed just five shots, but they all went on goal.  They came from five different players.
• Seven of NKU's eleven shots were on target.
• Kurz allowed three goals for the first time in her career.
• UIC's two corner kicks tied their season low.