CHICAGO (Oct. 27, 2024) – The UIC women's soccer team (7-9-2, 6-2-2) has finished the regular season in a tie for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, matching the best conference finish in the program's 10-year history and best since UIC joined the Valley three years ago. The Flames have also posted the second-best conference point total (20) and wins (6), as well as the second-most overall wins (7) since they first set foot on the pitch as a program in 2014.
 
The 2019 Flames currently own the records in the aforementioned categories, going 12-5-1 overall and placing second in the Horizon League with a 7-2 record (21 points). That season, UIC also advanced to the Horizon League Tournament championship game, one of three tournament semifinal berths the Flames have made in their first nine seasons.
 
On Sunday, the Valley also released the bracket for the MVC Championship that kicks off next week, with UIC earning the No. 3 tournament seed and a first-round tournament bye. The Flames will play host to an MVC Championship first-round game at 2 p.m. (CT) Thursday at Flames Field, when No. 6 seed UNI faces No. 7 Illinois State. The winner of that game will play UIC in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. (CT) Nov. 3, also at Flames Field.
 
Tickets for both MVC Championship games at UIC will be $5 each, with students admitted free. Both games will also be televised live on ESPN+.
 
UIC has finished third or higher in all three seasons it has been a Valley member, equaling or improving both its overall and conference win totals in each season. The Flames have also played host to MVC Championship first-round and quarterfinal contests all three years, reaching the quarterfinals in 2022 and the semifinals last season.
 
This year, UIC battled through arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the Valley (including four one-goal losses) before coming alive in conference play. The Flames posted seven shutouts in their 10 MVC games, including a school-record streak of four consecutive clean sheets from Sept. 29-Oct. 10. UIC also tied the program record with a six-game unbeaten streak from Sept. 19-Oct. 10, going 4-0-2 in that stretch.
 
The Flames played host to both UNI and Illinois State during the regular season and defeated both by identical 2-0 scores, thanks to braces (and the first career goals) by a pair of Wisconsin-based forwards. Junior Riley Collett (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) scored both goals in the win over UNI, while sophomore Camryn Ries (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) netted both tallies in the Illinois State victory. Graduate student goalkeeper Francesca Faraci (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South/Florida) earned the solo shutout against Illinois State and split the shutout against UNI with redshirt senior Lauren Keiser (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla./South Walton).
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
For more information on UIC women's 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).