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thevalley
Kaysey_Castro_goal_celebration_ILS_MVC_Tournament
Chris Kohley
2
Illinois St. ILS (6-10-4, 3-4-3)
4
Winner UIC UIC (8-9-2, 6-2-2)
Illinois St. ILS
(6-10-4, 3-4-3)
2
Final
4
UIC UIC
(8-9-2, 6-2-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Illinois St. ILS 1 1 2
UIC UIC 1 3 4

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Flames Advance to MVC Semifinals With 4-2 Win Over Illinois State

UIC posts its highest goal total this season to reach the Valley semis for the second straight year

CHICAGO (Nov. 3, 2024) — For the second straight year, UIC has punched its ticket to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship semifinals as the third-seeded Flames defeated No. 7 seed Illinois State, 4-2 in an electric quarterfinal contest on Sunday at Flames Field. It marks the second time in the program's 10-year history UIC (8-9-2) has reached the semifinals of its conference tournament in back-to-back seasons (also 2019-20), as well as the fourth time it has earned a conference semifinal berth.

The Flames picked the perfect time to ring up a season-high goal total with their four strikes, three of which came in the second half and all from long range (25 yards or further). Junior forward Riley Collett (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) led the offensive charge for UIC with a goal and an assist, while the Flames also picked up goals from junior midfielder Makenna Maloy (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) in the 32nd minute, senior defender Kaysey Castro (Fishers, Ind./Fishers/Bowling Green) in the 49th minute and junior midfielder Hannah Gryzik (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) in the 72nd minute. Freshman forward Olivia Ollmert (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South/Walton) picked up her first career point with the assist on Gryzik's game-winning goal, while sophomore forward Camryn Ries (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) set up Collett's clincher just over four minutes later.

The full box score and play-by-play recap from Sunday's win over Illinois State can be found here.

COACH'S COMMENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Sunday's win was the second postseason victory in UIC program history and first since Nov. 7, 2019, when the Flames earned a 1-0 double overtime win over Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League Championship semifinals in Milwaukee. Last year's MVC quarterfinal result against Murray State went down as a tie for the Flames, who advanced after a penalty kick shootout victory over the Racers.
  • UIC's eight victories this season represent the second-highest win total in the program's decade of existence, topped only by the 2019 squad that went 12-5-1 and reached the Horizon League title game. 
  • The four goals scored by the Flames were a season high, surpassing a 3-0 win over Indiana State on Oct. 8, also at Flames Field. It's the seventh time this season UIC has scored multiple goals in a game and the most for the Flames in any contest since Oct. 19, 2023, when they posted a 4-1 road win at Illinois State.
  • Sunday's six combined goals were the most in a UIC victory since Sept. 18, 2016, when the Flames posted a 6-1 win at home over Chicago State. 
  • UIC improves to 12-1-3 all-time in home games against MVC opponents (regular season and postseason), including a 5-0-1 record this year.
  • The Flames take a 4-2 lead in the all-time series with Illinois State and have won all four matchups with the Redbirds since UIC joined the Valley in 2022. Sunday marked the first time UIC and Illinois State squared off in the postseason.
  • Kaysey Castro becomes the 13th different UIC player to score a goal this season (not including an own-goal the Flames picked up Oct. 24 at Valparaiso) with her #SCTop10-worthy strike from more than 40 yards away on the left flank in the 49th minute. It was Castro's second goal in a Flames' kit, having also scored in last year's season opener (Aug. 17 vs. Toledo at Flames Field).
  • Olivia Ollmert opened her account at UIC with an assist on Hannah Gryzik's go-ahead score in the 72nd minute. Ollmert is the eighth UIC player to record an assist this season and the 16th member of the Flames with at least one point this year.
UP NEXT
UIC will take on No. 2 seed Drake in the first MVC Championship semifinal at 3 p.m. (CT) Thursday at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo. The game, a rematch of last year's conference semifinals won by the Bulldogs, 2-1, will be televised live on ESPN+. The second semifinal on Thursday will feature host and top-seeded Missouri State against No. 4 Belmont at 7 p.m. (CT).
 
SUPPORT YOUR FLAMES
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
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).
 
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