UIC struck first, and held the lead for nearly an hour, but Missouri State struck for three goals in 13 minutes to take a 3-1 win at Flames Field Saturday.  Josh Torres scored for the Flames, who kept the #21 Bears at bay after his 19^th-minute goal and into the second half.

Missouri State made a wave of subs at the 61^st minute, whose presence energized the team and tilted the action in their favor for the rest of the match.


 
Scoring Summary

• The Flames struck after nice passing in the box, with Christian Crespo playing Josh Torres toward the center.  Torres reversed momentum, sending a right-footed shot to the left post for his team-best fourth goal of the season.
• Missouri State drew even in the 65^th minute.  A corner kick was defended and sent out of the box, but Adrian Barosen was there to corral it and smash a shot on a bounce inside the right post.
• The Bears scored again six minutes later.  An initial shot was nicely saved by Andres Vasquez, but neither team could make a play on the rebound until the Bears got to it on the right side of the box.  A shot just eluded a diving Vasquez and found a home inside the left post.
• The Flames had possession right before Missouri State's third goal and even cleared the box, but a dribble went too far and Kian Yari scooped it up.  His shot was another that was just past Vasquez' fingers, making it 3-1.

Torres was the man on the spot for UIC's attack.  He worked his way open in the box or past the Bears' defense on multiple occasions in the first 10 minutes, but the passes that searched for him were off the mark.  That changed when the Flames were able to gather numbers forward and make short passes in the box, leading to his goal.

The Flames became just the second Valley team to score against Missouri State.  Playing with the lead, they had opportunities to add on in the first half.  Paul Brauckmann did well to win the ball and then unload a shot that was saved.  Preston Huitron took one of his own, that the keeper tipped off the crossbar and then saw ricochet high and straight upwards.  Andres Lemus was open late in the half for a good look that just went wide.

After halftime, Brauckmann continued to lead the charge.  His challenges were on point and on several occasions he won a ball by being aggressive.  He had four shots, with three on goal, setting personal bests in each.  His last moment of creativity came in the 58^th minute, when he had a shot saved shortly before Missouri State's reinforcements entered and swung momentum.

Between and after their goals, the Bears held possession effectively.  They did not allow a shot after taking the lead in remaining perfect in conference play.

UIC will step out of conference and host Notre Dame Tuesday night.