NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The UIC men's soccer team opened Missouri Valley Conference play Saturday night, as it took on Belmont at Rose Park. The Flames used a pair of Bart Muns (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Santa Barbara CC) goals to earn a hard-fought victory over the Bruins. The victory for the Flames broke a 20 home match unbeaten streak for the Bruins, which was the second-longest such streak in the NCAA behind Portland.
 
"I am very proud of our team's effort tonight," commented head coach Sean Phillips. "It is always tough to get wins on the road in this conference, but we came into the match with a great mentality and executed well throughout."
 
FIRST HALF

• Muns opened the scoring in the match just seven minutes in, as his goal on a Jesus De Vicente (Casas Bajas, Spain) free kick put UIC ahead 1-0 at the 6:15 mark.
• The Flames controlled the majority of the offensive possession in the first 45 minutes, as they out-shot the Bruins 7-2 in the opening half.
• Oren Asher (Hetzliya, Israel/Rutgers) made two saves in the opening half, as UIC took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

 
SECOND HALF

• The UIC defense kept the pressure on the Bruins in the second half, as UIC only allowed four shots on goal out of seven total shots in the second frame.
• Asher was up for the challenge, making six total saves on the match.
• Muns added an insurance goal in the 82^nd minute, his second of the season to ice the match and earn the Flames a 1-0 record in MVC play.

 
UP NEXT
The Flames will wrap up their four-match road trip Tuesday night, as they travel to nearby Chicago State for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off. UIC will then return to Flames Field next weekend, as it hosts Drake as part of Flames Fest on Saturday, Sept. 23.