CHICAGO – In their first meeting since the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) semifinals, the UIC women's soccer team welcomed the Drake Bulldogs to Flames Field for a regular-season contest. With the Flames (5-6-3, 1-2-2 MVC) looking for their first conference win, they battled with the Bulldogs (6-4-4, 3-1-1) for the full 90 minutes of action. The game changer came in the 72
nd minute of action off the foot of
Emmy Higgins as the Flames took the lead, resulting in a 1-0 victory.
Underway in the first half, the Flames came out defensively, sitting back and organizing while reading the Bulldogs' offense. The Bulldogs would record the first shot of the contest in the first minute of action, forcing
Francesca Faraci to make a save. In the fifth minute,
Chopper Carriere sent a deep cross near the top of the box in the path of
Sophia Jaime. Jaime would be her defender, but sent a high shot over the goal, leaving the game tied at 0-0. Two minutes later, Jaime placed another shot, this time on goal, forcing the Bulldogs keeper to make a save. For the remainder of the half, the Bulldogs outshot the Flames 7-1, but the teams would head into halftime tied nil-nil.
With 45 down and 45 to go, the Flames and Bulldogs were back underway.
Hannah Gryzik picked up the first shot on the half with a shot from deep outside the 18-yard box, but sent the ball high, resulting in a Bulldogs goal kick in the 54
th minute. As the game went on, both teams shared possession as intensity picked up. In the 72
nd minute, momentum shifted in favor of the Flames. Receiving a pass from
Riley Collett,
Emmy Higgins dribbled towards the goal. Just outside the 18-yard box, E. Higgins ripped a right-footed shot. With the ball sailing towards goal, the shot would go just over the Bulldogs' keeper, hit off the crossbar, and go into the left corner of the net, putting the Flames on top 1-0. For the remainder of the half, the Flames held strong on both sides of the field as they continued to take their chances while putting a stop to the Bulldogs' attack. At the final whistle, E. Higgins' goal held strong, giving the Flames their first MVC victory of the season.
The full box score and play-by-play recap can be found
here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The Flames are back on the road for their next match as they will head to Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State on Sunday, October 19
th, in an MVC match. Kick-off for the road game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION FOR HOME GAMES
- UIC students/staff and youths in eighth grade and under - free
- Adults/youths ninth grade and older - $5 each
- Military veterans/first responders/groups of 10+ adults - $3 each
Buy tickets
here
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For more information on Flames soccer, fans are encouraged to visit
UICFlames.com or follow the Flames on social media through X (
@UIC_WSOC and
@UICFlames) and on Instagram (
@uic_wsoc and
@uicflames)
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