NASHVILLE  – Postseason play kicks off for UIC this weekend, as the Flames travel to Nashville on Sunday for a 2 p.m. (CT) matchup at Belmont in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. This will mark the third time in four years that UIC will face the Bruins in the Valley quarterfinals, with this year's meeting slated to be televised live from E.S. Rose Park on ESPN+, with live stats available at UICFlames.com.

MATCH #17
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament — Quarterfinal
#5 seed UIC "Flames" (9-2-5, 2-1-4 MVC) at #4 seed Belmont "Bruins" (8-2-6, 3-2-2 MVC)
When: Sunday, Nov. 9th  |  2 p.m. CT
Where: Nashville, Tenn.  |  E.S. Rose Park
Live Coverage: ESPN+  |  Live Stats
MVC Championship Central: Website

SERIES NOTES
UIC and Belmont will be squaring off for the 12th time in series history, and the second time this season. The Flames hold an 8-2-1 edge in the series with a 5-0-1 record in Nashville, including a 2-1 victory back on Oct. 12. The teams are also playing in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals for the third time in their four-year membership in the conference, having split the two prior postseason matchups that were both played at Flames Field — Belmont prevailed 1-0 in 2022 (despite playing with 10 men for the final 36 minutes) before UIC returned the favor with a 2-1 victory in 2023 (on a Sidney Warden goal with 9:57 left in regulation).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior midfielder Edouard Nys scored his 15th goal of the season with exactly one minute remaining to lift UIC to a 2-1 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Western Michigan on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both schools at Flames Field. It was the latest match-winning goal in regulation for the Flames since Oct. 17, 2009 (the season prior to current head coach Sean Phillips assuming that role), when Ivan Stanisavljevic headed home a corner kick with 27 seconds left to defeat Milwaukee, 1-0.

A pair of sophomores who came on as substitutes in the final two minutes — Sebastian Khoury and Gianfranco Paladino — were credited with assists on Nys' winning score, with Paladino becoming the 14th different UIC player to record a point this year.

Thanks to Wednesday's result, the Flames (9-2-5, 2-1-4 MVC) finish with their fewest conference losses in a decade, since going 6-1-2 in the Horizon League during the 2015 campaign.  

Nys becomes just the third player in program history to score 15 goals in a season, joining Eric Lukin (21 in 1999, 15 in 2000) and Mike Rigas (17 in 1991). Nys also stands fourth on the school's single-season points list with 35, trailing only Lukin's output in 1999 (56 points) and 2000 (40 points), and Rigas' total in 1991 (46 points).

UIC outshot Western Michigan, 21-14, including an 8-5 margin in shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Owen Cornell made four saves, including a pair of key stops during the final 15 minutes when the Flames were protecting a one-goal lead.

TOURNAMENT TIDBITS
UIC is making its 27th conference tournament appearance and fourth in as many seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Flames are 21-16-6 all-time in conference tournament matches (1-3 in the MVC), including their prior membership in the Horizon League/Midwestern Collegiate Conference (which first held a postseason tournament in 1997). UIC has won six conference tournament titles, all in the Horizon League/MCC — 1999, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018.

The Flames' first MVC Tournament win came in the 2023 quarterfinals (a 2-1 win over Belmont at Flames Field), with UIC then narrowly falling to Missouri State in the semifinals, 1-0 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

THE TIES THAT BIND
UIC's 1-1 draw at Bowling Green on Oct. 31 marked a school-record fourth tie in conference play for UIC this season, as well as the Flames' fifth deadlock overall. The only prior time UIC had even recorded three conference ties in a single conference campaign was 2007, when the Flames went 4-1-3 in Horizon League play to finish third (and ultimately advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight). The last time UIC had this many ties in one season was 2009, when it recorded a school-record seven draws (6-6-7 record) in the year prior to current head coach Sean Phillips assuming that title.

UIC AMONG THE NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
Throughout the 2025 season, UIC has maintained its place within the top 20 nationally in numerous NCAA statistical categories. As of Saturday, the Flamea lead the country in shots per game (20.06) and are second in shots on goal per game (8.75). They are also seventh in assists per game (2.75) and points per game (7.38), as well as ninth in total assists (44), 11th in scoring offense (2.31 goals/game), total goals (37) and total points (118), and 16th in corner kicks per game (6.5).

Several Flames have appeared among the NCAA leaders on the individual charts this season, led by junior midfielder and Hermann Trophy candidate Edouard Nys, who is currently No. 1 in the nation in goals per game (0.94), shots per game (5.81) and shots on goal per game (2.88), as well as second in total goals (15) and total points (35), and third in points per game (2.19). In addition, senior midfielder Rui Reis is 18th in shots per game (3.38).

NYS NAMED TO HERMANN TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
UIC junior midfielder Edouard Nys is among 31 NCAA Division I players who have been selected for the 2025 Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, it was announced Oct. 10 by United Soccer Coaches. The Hermann Trophy is college soccer's most prestigious award, having been presented annually since 1967 to the nation's top player. Nys is the first UIC player to be named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List since Jesus Perez in 2019.
 
Nys is the only Missouri Valley Conference player on this year's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. The MVC has had two players (none from current Valley member schools) receive the Hermann Trophy during its history — Creighton's Johnny Torres (1997) and SMU's Luchi Gonzalez (2001). 

ZEPEDA NAMED TO TOP DRAWER SOCCER TOP 100 FRESHMAN LIST
Freshman defender Daniel Zepeda earned national recognition recently when he was ranked No. 24 on the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100 Freshman List. Zepeda, a native of Aurora, Ill., has started 13 matches for UIC during his rookie season, collecting his first career goal on Sept. 7 against Wright State and adding four assists, most recently setting up both Flames' goals in a 2-2 draw with MVC leader Evansville on Oct. 18. In addition, he has been instrumental in UIC's four shutouts this season.

CHICAGO'S COLLEGE TEAM
The Flames finished 3-0-1 against Chicagoland opponents this season, defeating Northwestern (3-2) and Loyola (3-1) on the road, and Chicago State (2-0) at home, while tying 1-1 at DePaul. Collectively, the UIC men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball programs went 7-0-2 against Windy City teams this fall, the best intracity record by any of Chicago's Division I schools.

UP NEXT: MVC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
With a victory on Sunday, UIC would advance to the MVC Tournament semifinals against top-seeded Evansville at 6 p.m. (CT) next Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville, Ind. All MVC postseason matches are broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats for matches involving UIC available at UICFlames.com. More information on the 2025 MVC Tournament can be found on the conference's Championship Central website. 
 
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
UIC students, staff and youths in eighth grade and under are admitted to all soccer matches free of charge, while adults and youths in ninth grade and above can purchase tickets for $5 each at the northwest entrance to Flames Field (off Morgan St.) on match night. Discounted tickets for military veterans, first responders and groups of 10+ adults, are on sale for $3 each. In addition, fans can buy the new Flames Fast Pass, a one-time $50 purchase that will provide the bearer with access to all UIC home athletics events (except men's and women's basketball) during the 2025-26 academic year.
 
For more information on UIC men's soccer, 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).

 
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