CHICAGO — Redshirt freshman forward AJ Sabanovic scored his first career goal off the first career assist from sophomore midfielder Aiden Montes less than three minutes into the second half and the UIC defense did the rest, posting a 1-0 non-conference victory over Saint Xavier on Saturday night at Flames Field. It was the third clean sheet of the season for UIC (4-4-3), with junior goalkeepers Joey Galante and Brandon Flores splitting time in the Flames' net and combining for three saves to secure the shutout.
UIC peppered the Cougars' goal all night long, finishing with an 18-5 edge in total shots, including a 10-3 margin in shots on goal, and a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks. However, it was a well-timed run by Montes down the right flank that created the decisive goal scoring opportunity, with Sabanovic meeting his cross at the near post and redirecting it past SXU goalkeeper Daniel Martinez at the 47:30 mark.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Saturday's win over Saint Xavier can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sabanovic and Montes both tallied the first points of their respective careers with Saturday's goal and assist.
- Sabanovic is the fourth different UIC player to score his first career goal this season, joining Alan Alonso (Aug. 23 at Oral Roberts), Antonio Delgado (Aug. 30 at Northern Illinois) and Artem Grinblat (Sept. 25 vs. Bradley).
- Montes is the fourth Flames player with his first career assist this year, along with Artem Grinblat (Aug. 27 at Oakland), Semin Razman (Sept. 10 vs. Western Illinois) and Owen Cornell (Sept. 19 vs. Northwestern).
- UIC is 3-0 all-time against Saint Xavier, outscoring the Cougars by a combined 12-0 score in those three matches. This was the first meeting between the crosstown foes since 1991.
UP NEXT: BELMONT
The Flames turn their attention back to their Missouri Valley Conference schedule for the final four matches of the regular season, beginning next Saturday (Oct. 17) when they travel to Nashville for the third time in the past two seasons to take on Belmont at E.S. Rose Park. Kickoff time is set for 6 p.m. (CT), with ESPN+ set to broadcast the match and live stats available at UICFlames.com.
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
Once again this season, UIC students, staff and youths in eighth grade and under are admitted to all home soccer matches free of charge, while adults and youths in ninth grade and above can purchase tickets for $5 each at the northwest (Morgan St.) or southeast (Granderson Stadium home plate) entrances to Flames Field on match night. Discounted tickets for groups of 10+ adults, are on sale for $3 each. In addition, fans can buy the 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 2026-27 academic year.
For more information on UIC Athletics and UIC men's soccer, visit UICFlames.com. Fans can also follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_msoc and @uicflames).
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