UIC defeated Eastern Illinois 9-0 in a preseason match Saturday afternoon at Flames Field.

"It was good to see contributions from so many players," Sean Phillips said.  "Several of our veterans put in shifts that set a positive tone for the rest of the game.  We also had many newcomers who had a good week of training and took that momentum with them into their first game at UIC.

"Oftentimes when a team starts as well as we did, there is a drop off.  This afternoon, the reserves in both the first half and second half kept executing at a high level."

Pau Mateo got the Flames on the board in the seventh minute when he headed in the team's first corner kick of the match.  Andres Moreno scored in the 19^th minute, receiving an assist from Josh Torres.  Torres scored the next goal himself, becoming one of seven Flames to record a goal.

Preston Huitron registered a hat trick.  Two of his goals were assisted by Andres Lemus.  Lemus, Brian Perez, and Christian Crespo each had two assists.  Lemus and Ezau Millan added goals, and Eduardo Garcia capped the scoring late in the match.

A large, energetic crowd got its first look at the new Flames Field.  The home team gave them a number of moments to cheer for, offensively and defensively.  On the offensive end, UIC had moments on restarts and in the run of play that will provide building blocks for the next week of training before the second and final preseason friendly.

UIC wore its new navy blue kits.  The all-blue outfit with red numbers and four red Chicago stars across the back is a new addition to the team's look this year.

The Flames will be back in action Friday afternoon in an exhibition match against Michigan.