A pair of sparkling goals highlighted the offensive effort in UIC's 2-0 win over Northern Illinois Monday night.  Christian Crespo scored first as a result of pristine passing, and Andres Moreno added insurance via a dazzling individual effort.

"It's very difficult to shut out a team of Northern Illinois' quality at home, much less on the road," Sean Phillips said, noting that it had been since 2002 that the Flames won in DeKalb.  "I'm really happy with how our guys defended tonight.  That disciplined defending led directly to the second goal.  It changed the entire dynamic of the second half."

Scoring Summary

• Great timing and passing highlighted the game's first goal.  Ezau Millan flicked a first-touch pass passed ahead to Josh Torres, who timed his move perfectly to get open and remain onside.  After getting the keeper to commit to him, Torres fed Christian Crespo in front of the open goal mouth for the finish.
• Just after the second half started, Andres Moreno took possession near midfield.  He kicked the ball forward, then got around his defender and back on the ball, leaving himself an open run on the goal.  His shot beat the keeper from right to left.

The game was played between the boxes in the first dozen minutes, until the Flames won the match's first set piece.  Though the free kick went into the wall, the ensuing action led directly to the initial goal.  After that, the Flames found shots hard to come by as they were called on to defend NIU's efforts to pull it back.

The Huskies had a threatening moment in the box that Paul Brauckmann thwarted.  They had a shot hit the crossbar, and a later look from 12 yards out that was blocked.  "Our defending at midfield was pretty good.  NIU is pretty clever," Phillips said.  "They're a joy to watch, but a challenge to prepare against. Our guys applied some of the things we asked of them before the game.  We had a bright start to the first half, but as the half went on, Northern Illinois showed their quality.  We were fortunate when their shot hit the crossbar, but sometimes you work and create your luck."

The Flames defended two corner kicks late in the first half, and Andres Vasquez made a nice save of a long shot to preserve the 1-0 lead at the break.  Less than 90 seconds into the second half, Moreno scored and changed the direction of the match.  "The second goal was more of a game-winner from a momentum and game flow standpoint," said Phillips.  "Our guys executed.  They adjusted in the second half in the midfield to create pressure in the right spots and counter that space very nicely."

UIC took just nine shots, but put five of them on goal to keep pressure on NIU's keeper.  NIU's 11 shots included only three on goal.  The Huskies had seven corner kicks, the most by a Flames opponent since the season opener.  Vasquez posted his third straight shutout and has yet to be scored on this season.

Corner kick defense was stout for UIC in the second half.  Vasquez made a save on one, and a punchout on another, and the Flames did not allow a shot on goal thereafter.  "It was a good defensive performance by the whole group.  It was nice to see Manny Cerritos show his quality coming in.  Andres Moreno was asked to deputize for Manny at right back to finish the game off," Phillips stated.

"The way the guys are working, we're creating luck.  That hard work and honesty has to continue as we start Valley play Saturday night."

The Flames will play their first conference match as Missouri Valley members on Saturday night, against Drake.  The match will serve as the grand opening and dedication of the new Flames Field.