In a renewal of a fierce rivalry, UIC and Loyola battled to a scoreless draw in an intense, physical match Monday night at Flames Field.

"This game was previewed last April in the Chicago Cup final," Sean Phillips said, referencing the annual spring exhibition cup.  "While we didn't play each other in the fall of '21, the rivalry didn't really miss, which is great.  Loyola has a really good coaching staff, a lot of good players, they're experienced, they play with a lot of fight and grit and they have several really good players in important places on the field.  It was going to be a big task for our guys." 

Neither team generated many quality chances to score.  The Flames had two first-half shots that looked promising from the buildup but did not threaten.  UIC's defense limited the Ramblers to two shots on goal and played tough defense, even after going down to 10 men for the final seven minutes, in earning their first point of the season.

"Coming in 0-2, we challenged them to do a lot of things today," Phillips said, adding, "I'm proud of the guys.  They brought the fight that has been characteristic of our successful teams over the years.  That final third piece was just a little lacking.  We have the talent to do it.  We'll continue to sharpen that, but I thought defensively we were better.  It was the right mentality toward defending and being disciplined.  If we can make that same improvement in the final third, that will be the next step I want to see on Friday."

Several of the Flames' more promising chances came early as the teams felt each other out.  Paul Brauckmann made a big play deep in the defensive end that transitioned into a Josh Torres runout on the other end.  Just minutes later, several Flames connected on great passing within the box resulting in a Torres shot that was frustrated by the defense.  Indeed, nine of UIC's 12 shots, and both of their corner kicks, came in the first half.

Torres and Eddie Garcia were contributors offensively, while Brauckmann, starting for the second straight match, continued to assert himself on the back line.  "International students at colleges everywhere are having problems with visas, and he didn't join us until a few days into preseason," Phillips said of the freshman from Germany.  "It took him a couple of days to get involved.  I thought he showed his quality the last couple of games.  I think he'll continue to improve the more he plays and the more familiar he gets with college soccer and the more familiar he gets with his teammates.  I'm proud of the strides he made from the last game to this game."

Four Flames shared the team lead with two shots each, including veterans Pau Mateo and Eddie Garcia, and newcomers Andres Lemus – a freshman – and Ricardo Avalos – a graduate transfer new to the team this week.  "The first thing the young guys did tonight, which they hadn't done to the necessary level, is the defensive piece and the work rate defensively.  When you're doing that right, it makes it more difficult in transition to have that final moment or make the final run or the final pass," Phillips pointed out.  "That will come with these guys.  Now that they're learning the necessary work rate defensively and how to shape things, those moments will become moments where the crowd will really be on their feet."

A boisterous crowd of well over 800, while not witness to any goals, saw plenty of hard-nosed play on both sides.  Ten total cards were issued, with six yellows shown to UIC and three to Loyola, and a red card disqualifying Andres Lemus after he tried to run under a long ball at the same time Loyola's keeper came outside the penalty box to challenge as well.

"I thought the crowd tonight was great.  They were entertained with a good soccer game," Phillips said.  "I saw students, I saw student-athletes, I saw people from University Village with Option Realty's back-to-school drive," which collected two large bins of supplies to benefit Smyth School.  "Hopefully all the fans that were here tonight were entertained enough to come back on Friday," when the Flames return to action against another city rival, Chicago State.