An exciting, action-filled match saw DePaul score two second half goals and leave Flames Field with a 3-2 win late Tuesday night.  The teams combined for 33 shots and 16 on goal – with the Flames doubling up their guests on both counts – with no shortage of individual moves and passes that got the large crowd on its feet.


 
Scoring Summary

• UIC drew first blood in the 22^nd minute on action initiated by Pau Mateo at midfield.  His long ball found Brian Perez on the run, and a nifty move past the goalkeeper later, he shot into the open net.
• Less than three minutes later, DePaul equalized on a rocket of a shot inside the top of the box.
• The Flames took the lead into halftime when Andres Lemus snuck a first-touch shot inside the near post, redirecting a well-placed cross from Christian Crespo.
• DePaul drew even for the second time in the action off a corner kick.  An initial shot was blocked, but the loose ball went to a good place for Felipe Corral to nudge it past Andres Vasquez.
• The game-winner came after tic-tac-toe passing into the left edge of the box, leading Julian Saldana into the six where Vasquez had to come out to challenge him.  Saldana's shot went over the Flames' keeper and held up for the last 14 minutes.

Both teams took every opportunity to attack from the outset.  Shots came early and often, though many of the initial attempts were off target, or blocked before they had a chance to approach it.  Andres Moreno was on the front end of one of those blocks, before he took a worthy shot that was saved, but bobbled. 

The shots improved through the middle of the first half when each team scored their first goal.  Ricardo Avalos took a 44^th-minute shot that got past the keeper with tremendous pace, only to hit the crossbar.  But in the last 31 seconds, Andres Lemus worked into position deep in the box and was rewarded with the first goal of his career.

The momentum turned DePaul's way after Josh Torres made some nice moves to get into the box and had a shot saved eight minutes into the second half.  The Blue Demons scored an equalizer, and then continued to press forward, forcing Andres Vasquez to come off his line and play the ball off his chest after exiting the box. 

After DePaul went ahead for the first time, it looked as though the Flames would cash in a quick equalizer of their own.  Eduardo Garcia was saved on a short angle deep in the box, and later in the sequence Eduardo Huerta had a good look on goal after Aaron Nguyen's bicycle kick kept the threat alive.

UIC's 22 shots were a season high, as were their 11 on goal.  Moreno had four shots with two on target in just 32 minutes.  Lemus was one of three Flames with three shots.  The match was delayed by nearly two hours by lightning.

The Flames will begin a stretch of four straight Missouri Valley matches on Saturday when Bradley visits Flames Field.