UIC and Northern Kentucky combined for three goals in a 10-minute span.  NKU's two tallies on corner kicks sandwiched Megan Bowman's score, and the Norse prevailed by a 2-1 final.

David Nikolic's Summary
"We started great.  The intensity, the ball movement, the willingness to get in lane and send balls into the box - it was really the way we wanted to start and something we were searching for.  I thought we were going to get one early.  The hunger was there from the start.  We've been hungry and playing with aggressiveness but we put things together and created opportunities right in front of the goal today.  One of those goes in early, maybe there's a different outcome or it changes the flow of the game."
 
Turning Points

• The Norse struck first in the 55^th minute.  A corner kick was sent in front of the net, and an initial try was cleared by Allie Tefend, but Kayla Wypasek scored on the rebound.
• UIC's first goal of the season came when Kaitlyn Montague played Megan Bowman ahead into the final third.  NKU's keeper came out, and Bowman chipped her to tie the match.
• Northern Kentucky had a response of their own, earning another corner kick which Lydia Self headed in at the far post.

Match Details
The Flames' first goal of the season could not have come at a better time.  After generating momentum in the first half, they nonetheless found themselves trailing at the hour mark.  Kaitlyn Montague sent a beautiful ball from near the center line to a place where Megan Bowman's determined run put keeper McKayla Kowalski in a serious bind.  She chose to charge at Bowman, but the Flame made the play.

"The release and the anxiety of not scoring up until that moment showed.  You could see the excitement and the joy the team had in the celebration," Nikolic noted.  He continued, "The issue we have is the reaction to that.  When they took the kickoff, they were immediately in our penalty area.  We have to have a better reaction.  We have to lock in, we have to focus.  The game was not over; we have to have a better response."

UIC set the tone from the outset, earning two corner kicks in the first four minutes.  Grace Setter and Allie Tefend were in the mix, though neither threatened Kowalski.  A while later, Setter got into the box for a 1v1.  After that, Montague had a throw-in that went straight to Setter's head, to that of Bowman for a shot that stayed just high.  "We knew where we wanted to take the game, and we did that in the first half," Nikolic said.  "We found the wide spaces, and we were energetic in those spaces."

UIC had a season high 12 shots. Bowman and Montague had three each to tie the most in a game by any Flame this year.

After they fell behind for the second time, the Flames continued to fight.  Leah Senese sent a free kick deep into NKU's end, where Makena Shaw made a good play to earn a corner kick.  In the final minutes, Montague tried a long shot that found the crossbar, representing UIC's last good chance to draw level.

"Giving up that second goal was tough," Nikolic observed.  "We were asked to come back.  Not once in these eight games have I questioned the work rate or the desire or the will.  It's always been there, and that showed again after the second goal.  We were on them, we were pushing, trying to find a way to get the equalizer. 

"It just didn't happen."