UIC fell to Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-0, in the Horizon League opener Thursday evening.  A scoreless duel tipped the Mastodons' way in the 60^th minute, and they added the insurance goal 10 minutes later.

David Nikolic's Summary
"It wasn't a consistent effort.  There were stops and starts to it.  We didn't have any ability to maintain positive stuff for long periods of time.  We struggled for the majority of the match.   Credit to Purdue Fort Wayne, they put it where they needed to and they took advantage of their chances."

Turning Points

• UIC carried possession for much of the game's first 25 minutes.  Multiple tries by the likes of Makena Shaw, and opportunities on set pieces, did not yield a goal.
• Purdue Fort Wayne's first goal came after an initial try went through the box and was pushed out by Lena Kurz.  The Mastodons tracked down the loose ball at the edge of the box, sent it back across, and it deflected off a Flame defender into the net.
• The clinching goal was scored by Megan Sinnott, who retained possession on a long run down the sideline and then centrally, and launched a drive from the top of the semicircle.

Match Details
Out on the front foot from the opening kick, the Flames looked sharp as they spent extended minutes in the final third.  Makena Shaw forced the keeper to dive for a shot that was targeted for the left post.  Later, she was fouled after initiating an attack, but the free kick from 30 yards out could not be kept down.

The tide turned Purdue Fort Wayne's way in the later minutes of the first half, but UIC's defense and goalkeeping were on point.  The team defended two corner kicks well.  Lena Kurz picked off a cross before it could start anything dangerous, before making a big diving save on a shot by the post.  Kurz had six stops on the evening.

After the Mastodons' initial goal, the Flames responded with energy on the offensive end.  Quinn Ruiz made a nice move to get off a shot that went wide.  Several Flames made determined runs on a free kick from 20 yards away, and Shaw was in position to keep one of the team's season high-tying five corner kicks in the zone a couple minutes later, but both times the defense was able to make a play.

"When you're a team that's struggling to score, you have to manufacture chances.  The best way to do that is through set pieces," Nikolic said.  "We had some dangerous ones in the second half.  Grace Haines delivered some good balls, but we were not better in the battles to get to the ball.  We worked hard to get to those moments; we just didn't have the right moments to complete it."

Leah Senese set up camp past the left post on a couple of possessions late in the game, only for attempted connections by Grace Haines and Shaw to go off the mark.  Nikolic continued to try different combinations, sending a season high nine bench players into the game.

Natalie Montini played a season high 78 minutes and attempted her first shot on goal.  That was one of only two tries by the Flames that went on target; meanwhile an efficient Mastodon squad placed eight of 13 shots on goal.

The Flames will return to Flames Field for the first time since an exhibition match on August 10.  Northern Kentucky will visit Sunday at 1 pm.  "We're happy to be home.  It's a short turnaround against a top Horizon League team that has done really well the last few years," Nikolic continued.  "We'll have to watch the tape and see where we can get better and try to respond.  There were some heavy minutes played tonight so recovery will be very important."