CHICAGO (Oct. 12, 2023) – The UIC women's soccer team (4-7-3, 3-3-1 MVC) is set to return home for a match against Belmont (2-7-6, 1-2-4 MVC) Thursday evening at Flames Field. Thursday's home contest is UIC's second to last home match of the 2023 regular season. The Flames currently sit in fifth in the conference standings with three conference matches remaining.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Evansville (1-3-8, 1-0-5 MVC) on Sunday. A late goal from the Purple Aces proved to be the deciding factor as the Flames struggled to create scoring opportunities throughout the match.

Sophomore Sophia Jaime (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) attempted to ignite the Flames, leading the match with five shots, three of which were on target. In Sunday's match, freshman Sara Jacobs (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek) recorded her first collegiate shot on goal. The defender also logged a season-high 50 minutes of play against the Purple Aces.

SCOUTING BELMONT
Belmont is currently in eighth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, having recently lost 1-0 to Northern Iowa. Prior to that defeat, the Bruins had their first conference victory of the season against Southern Illinois. Belmont also has two draws in MVC matches against Illinois State and Evansville.

The all-time series record between the Flames and Bruins stands at 0-1-2, with the two teams first meeting in 2016. Last season, the two programs fought to a scoreless draw.

MATCH INFORMATION
Thursday's match against Belmont will kick off at 6 p.m. at Flames Field. Fans can stream the contest on ESPN+ and live stats will be accessible on the Flames' website.

The contest against the Bruins will be a Breast Cancer Awareness event to honor those in the fight.

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For more information on Flames soccer, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wsoc and @uicflames).