ST. LOUIS (Aug. 19, 2024) – The Missouri Valley Conference released the results of its preseason men's soccer coaches poll on Monday afternoon, and UIC was selected to finish third, while receiving two first-place votes. The Flames finished third in The Valley in 2023, going 4-2-2 in conference and reaching the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Soccer Championships.
 
UIC also landed three players on the Preseason All-Conference Team, tied with Missouri State for the most of any other school in the MVC. The returning trio of Bart Muns (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Santa Barbara CC), Jesus De Vicente (Casas Bajas, Spain/Iowa Western CC) and Joshua Torres (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) were honored by the conference prior to the 2024 campaign.
 
2024 Flames Facts

• The Flames are poised to be an offensive threat in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2024, as UIC returns its top three goal scorers from a year ago. All three players (Bart Muns, Jesus De Vicente, and Joshua Torres) were named USC Division I Players to watch at their respective positions this preseason.
• Leading the Flames in minutes played in 2023 (1,704), junior Paul Brauckmann is poised to lead the Flames' back line again in 2024, looking to build on his two match-winning goals a season ago.

 
Full MVC Preseason Poll Results
 

Team (First Place Votes)	Points
Missouri State (3)	74
Western Michigan	72
UIC(2)	69
Bowling Green	51
Belmont	41
Northern Illinois	31
Evansville	30
Drake	19
Bradley	18

 
The Flames will open regular season play on Thursday, as they play host to DePaul at Flames Field, with kick-off slated for 8 p.m. CT. The match is free to attend for all fans, and can also be seen live on ESPN+.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC scholar-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
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).