CHICAGO – Coming off its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament title, the UIC women's soccer team will make its NCAA Tournament debut at 5 p.m. (CT) Saturday when it travels to top-seeded (and second-ranked) Notre Dame for a first-round match. 
 
The Flames (8-7-6, 3-3-3 MVC) are one of two teams to make their first appearance in the NCAA tournament. Saturday's match at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium will mark the inaugural meeting between the two sides. 
 
"The opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament is every college athlete's goal and dream," said UIC head coach David Nikolic. "This team has been on a phenomenal ride and has made history at UIC. We are looking forward to competing on Saturday night and will be ready. Notre Dame has proven this season to be among the best teams in the country, if not the best. They are extremely well coached, and we will have to be locked in and ready from the start. "

UIC earned the MVC's automatic qualifier after defeating Illinois State 2-1 in penalties following a 0-0 tie. Hannah Gryzik and Kaysey Castro converted their attempts while tournament MVP Sara Sanabria came up with three huge saves to give the Flames their first conference title.
 
Notre Dame (14-1-3, 8-1-1 ACC) is coming off a 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Stanford in the ACC Championship match following a 2-2 tie. The Fighting Irish have won three NCAA national championships in their history, most recently in 2010. This year, Notre Dame has been ranked in the top five nearly every week, including three weeks at number one.  
 
Broadcast and ticket information for Saturday's first round match will be available in the coming days. 
 
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
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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