CHICAGO (Oct. 30, 2023) – The UIC men's soccer team (9-4-3, 4-2-2 MVC) closed out regular season play Monday, as it hosted Villanova for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Flames Field.
 
In a busy first half of action, the Flames tallied the opening goal in the eighth minute, and Villanova answered three minutes later with an equalizer. Luka Nedic (Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Iowa Western CC) tallied his first goal of the season in the 30^th minute, which proved to be the match winner in a 2-1 victory for UIC.
 
"I thought we got exactly what we needed from today's performance," commented head coach Sean Phillips post-game. "We have areas we can improve on, but going into post-season play on a two-match win streak serves us well."
 
FIRST HALF

• The Flames wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, as Joshua Torres (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) netted his seventh goal of the year in the eighth minute to put UIC on top 1-0. Jesus De Vicente (Casas Bajas, Spain/Iowa Western CC) tallied the primary assist on the goal, his team-leading 11^th of the season.

 

Great ball movement leads to the opening goal of the half!#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/ijZNQbHyq3

— UIC Men's Soccer (@UIC_MSOC) October 30, 2023

 

• Just two minutes later, the Wildcats used a quality buildup of their own to net the equalizer, a cross into the box that was re-directed by Marcus Brenes to tie the match.
• After twenty more minutes of back and forth play, the Flames found the go-ahead goal in the 30^th minute, as Luka Nedic laced a ball into the back of the net for his first of the year to give UIC the 2-1 advantage.

 

An absolute banger from Luka Nedic to give UIC the lead!#ChicagosCollegeTeam #SCtop10 | @espn
@TheSilversmith pic.twitter.com/TmMn87Vigh

— UIC Men's Soccer (@UIC_MSOC) October 30, 2023

 
SECOND HALF

• Despite a second half increase in pressure from the Wildcats, UIC still out-shot Villanova 10-6 in the second half of play.
• Oren Asher (Hetzliya, Israel/Rutgers) made six saves on the afternoon, including three crucial saves in the second half to maintain the slim lead for UIC.
• The Flames' best chance of the second half came on a penalty kick that followed a Villanova handball in the box, but Sidney Warden (London, England/Mercyhurst) blasted the attempt off the left upright to keep the match where it was.
• Nedic's first half goal would prove to be the match-winner, as the Flames went on to earn the 2-1 win.

 
With the victory, the Flames eclipsed the 10-win mark for the first time since 2019, and for the fifth time in the career of head coach Sean Phillips. UIC will host an MVC Quarterfinal matchup at Flames Field on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. CT. Seeding and opponent for that match will be determined based on the remaining MVC matches to be played on Wednesday, Nov. 1. UIC will earn either the number three or number four seed in the final Missouri Valley Conference stadings.
 
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_msoc and @uicflames).