Normal, Ill. – Competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Women's Soccer Championship for the first time in program history, the No. 6 Flames took on the No. 4 Illinois State Redbirds for all the glory. 110 minutes of action wouldn't be enough to decide a winner between the Flames (8-7-6, 3-3-3 MVC) and the Redbirds (8-6-8, 5-2-4 MVC), as the two teams went into a penalty kick shootout. With
Hannah Gryzik and
Kaysey Castro converting their attempts, and
Sara Sanabria coming up with three huge saves, the Flames were crowned 2025 MVC Champions.
In windy, cold conditions, including snow at times, the Flames and Redbirds went to battle to determine the 2025 MVC women's soccer tournament champion. A defensive battle ensued between the two sides as they got underway. In just the 6
th minute of action,
Hannah Gryzik nearly gave the Flames an early lead off a corner kick, but the Redbirds' goalkeeper, Madi Valenti, MVC goalkeeper of the year, made a diving save to keep the score nil-nil. Four minutes later,
Francesca Faraci came up with a huge diving save of her own to keep the score even. From that moment on, only five more shots were taken, with three coming from the Redbirds and two from the Flames. The two sides entered halftime tied 0-0.
Back underway in the second half, the Flames came out strong, recording five shots within 15 minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net. Overall, during the second 45 minutes of action, UIC outshot Illinois State 9-1, placing four on frame. In the 76
th minute,
Sara Sanabria stopped the Redbirds' lone attempt of the half to keep the score even. At the final whistle, the Flames and Redbirds were all tied up, forcing overtime.
No stranger to overtime, the Flames gave it their all for an additional 20 minutes of action. Across two 10-minute periods, the Redbirds held the edge over the Flames in shots 2-1. Neither team recorded a chance in the final period before the final whistle went off, signaling that the winner would be determined in a penalty shootout.
Awaiting the crowning of a champion, the teams gathered at halffield and fans gathered around the sideline as the penalty shootout commenced. Converting their attempts,
Hannah Gryzik and
Kaysey Castro put the Flames ahead, while
Sara Sanabria saved three of the Redbirds' five attempts, with the fourth hitting off the crossbar, to lead the Flames to a 2-1 shootout victory and to be crowned the 2025 MVC Champions.
With the win, the Flames made history, earning their first conference tournament championship since the program was founded in 2014.
At the conclusion of the game,
Hannah Gryzik was named the Elite 18 Award Winner and to the 2025 MVC Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team. Joining Gryzik on the all-tournament team were
Katelyn Nardulli,
Kaysey Castro, and
Sara Sanabria. Sanabria was also named the tournament MVP.
The full box score and play-by-play recap can be found
here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The win marks the UIC's first conference tournament championship in program history. The Flames improve their overall record to 8-7-6 and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA DI Women's Soccer Tournament. At 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, the Flames will learn their opponent and the location they will be traveling to during the NCAA selection show. Fans can tune in at
NCAA.com to watch.
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)
#ChicagosCollegeTeam
