CHICAGO (Sept. 28, 2023) – After climbing five spots in the national rankings this week, the 20^th ranked UIC men's soccer team (7-1-1, 2-0 MVC) is preparing for a Missouri Valley Conference showdown against Western Michigan (6-1-2, 1-0 MVC) Saturday night at Flames Field. Kickoff in the battle of conference-unbeatens is set for 7:00 p.m.
 
"After some well-deserved time off this week, the guys are in good form right now," commented head coach Sean Phillips. "We are solely focused on Western Michigan, who was extremely impressive last season, and is off to a very positive start this year."
 
FLAMES FACTS

• In the midst of a three-match winning streak, the Flames enter play this weekend tied for first place in The Valley standings with Missouri State.
• UIC ranks 14^th in the NCAA in scoring average, scoring an average of 2.33 goals per match through nine contests. The Flames are unbeaten (7-0-1) when scoring the first goal of the match and are also 7-0-1 when scoring two or more goals.
• Jesus De Vicente (Casas Bajas, Spain / Iowa Western CC) ranks second in all of Division I in assists per game, as he has tallied eight assists in eight matches played.
• Bart Muns (Amsterdam, Netherlands / Santa Barbara CC) has surged to the top of the roster in terms of points over the last three matches, as the junior has netted five goals in that span to go along with an assist. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday and ranks third in The Valley in points with 13 on the year.

 
RANKINGS RESEARCH

• The Flames have cracked the United Soccer Coaches top-20 for the first time since Dec. 16, 2008, where they were ranked 11^th in the final poll of the season. UIC went on to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Soccer Championship. The Flames were ranked as high as seventh that season (Oct. 7, 2008)

 
Saturday's match will serve as men's soccer's Sparky's Kids Club match of the season, where registered Kids Club members can claim their season-long swag bag, and participate in yard games with Sparky.
 
The match will also be streamed live on ESPN+, with Sam Brief calling all of the play-by-play action, and former UIC men's soccer coach John Trask joining the broadcast as the color commentator.