CHICAGO (Oct. 12, 2023) – The UIC women's soccer team (4-7-4, 3-3-2 MVC) played to a 0-0 draw against Belmont (2-7-7, 1-2-5 MVC) on a chilly Thursday evening during its Breast Cancer Awareness match at Flames Field. For the second consecutive match, sophomore Sophia Jaime (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) led both teams with seven shots in the game.

COACH'S COMMENTS
"We put ourselves in a great position to secure all three points tonight and are frustrated with the final outcome," said head coach David Nikolic. "The effort and intensity to advance to the final phase was excellent again this evening. There are moments of execution, but this conference shows the need to bring your best in front of the goal, and that's where the difference lies at the moment. We will continue to work and push to find the solution."

FIRST HALF

• Sophia Jaime initiated the attack for the Flames. Just under three minutes into the contest, the forward/midfielder took her first of seven shots in the contest.
• Seven minutes in, Makenna Maloy (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) matched that energy with a shot towards the bottom center of the net. However Belmont's goalkeeper, Sarah Doyle, was there to make the save.
• Hannah Gryzik (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove), Makena Shaw (Fontana, Calif./Los Osos), and Yulexi Diaz (Chicago, Ill./Eric Solorio Academy) each had their opportunities to score as well in the first half, but none of their shots were able to find the back of the net.
• Freshman defender Julia Thomson (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) came close to scoring her first goal off a corner kick at the 42-minute mark.
• In back-to-back possessions minutes before halftime, Belmont challenged UIC goalkeeper Lauren Keiser (Santa Rosa Beach, Florida/South Walton), but the redshirt junior was there to keep the match scoreless going into the halftime intermission.

 

38'

Back to back saves by 0??0?? Lauren Keiser to keep Belmont off the board.

UIC 0 , BEL 0#FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/9t7SYbJAxX

— UIC Women's Soccer (@UIC_WSOC) October 12, 2023

SECOND HALF

• Belmont set up for a corner kick 53 minutes into the match, but the Flames' defense did not allow the ball to pass through.
• Freshman Emmy Higgins (Evansville, Ind./Castle) had her shoulders squared to the net but narrowly missed an opportunity with 32 minutes remaining in the contest.

 

78'

3? Emmy Higgins just misses the net.

UIC 0 , BEL 0#FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/KXTCz8myWw

— UIC Women's Soccer (@UIC_WSOC) October 13, 2023

• At 67 minutes, Bella Baker (West Bend, Wis./West Bend) had a fast-break opportunity, but the Bruins' goalie didn't allow anything to get past her.
• The Flames continued their efforts to score right up to the end of the match, with Makena Shaw firing a shot right before the clock expired.

UP NEXT
UIC will be off for a week before facing Illinois State on Oct. 19 in its second to last game of the regular season. The Flames will travel to Normal, Illinois, to play the Redbirds at Adelaide Street Field. The match begins at 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available on the Flames' website.

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).