UIC unleashed an offensive barrage against Bradley, running away with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon.  The Flames unleashed 40 shots, and had 19 corner kicks, and scored all their goals in the last 30 minutes after going down 2-0 before halftime.

"I was impressed with how much of the game we had in the first half," Sean Phillips said, adding, "but I was disappointed with our defense.  We have to be more disciplined in defending so that when we have that much possession, the other team doesn't get two past us."

Bradley went up in the 20^th minute, and doubled their lead in the 33^rd.  They scored those two first half goals on just four shots, and did not attempt a shot after halftime.  The Flames racked up 24 shots in the second half, and had eight of their 13 total shots on goal in the last 45.  UIC's shot total was fifth-highest in any NCAA match this season.



Josh Torres got the Flames on the board in the 61^st minute.  He later made it a brace, putting a dazzling move on his defender to get the Brave on the ground, and moving in on goal before shooting a dart past the keeper.  In between, Andres Moreno scored his second goal of the season, and Paul Brauckmann headed a corner kick into the net to give the Flames the lead.

"Even after we went down 2-0, I felt that at some point we were going to get back in the game," Phillips recounted.  "Once we got the first one, the guys continued to work.  They kept possession, applied pressure, and we were able to get a couple off of set pieces as well as some production off the bench from Moreno," who finished with a goal and an assist.

Aaron Nguyen and Brian Perez each scored in the match's last four minutes to account for the final score.  The six total goals were the most by UIC since October 27, 2019, when they scored seven at IUPUI.

The Flames nearly got a goal back in the last two minutes of the first half.  A foul in the box afforded them a penalty kick, which Preston Huitron blasted square on the corner where post and crossbar met.  Huitron ended with five shots, tying Brauckmann for second most on the team.  Torres recorded 11 shots.

By taking three points, the Flames stayed alive in the race to finish in the top half of the Valley standings.  They also clinched the tiebreaker over Bradley, with whom they were tied entering play.  "Maybe this will be an area of growth for us," Phillips said, looking ahead to the final two matches of the regular season.  "Against Drake, we couldn't convert, but today we did.  It was team effort.  The guys stayed committed and positive in their approach, and stayed positive with each other. 

"We have to be very aware of what this does for us and our approach versus Evansville," who the Flames play next on Saturday night.  "We still have an opportunity to get where we want to be at the end of the regular season."