KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Junior midfielder Martin Montoya netted his team-leading fifth goal of the season and graduate student goalkeeper Owen Cornell tied his career high with seven saves, including a stop on a penalty kick, as the UIC men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw at Western Michigan in Missouri Valley Conference action on Saturday night at the WMU Soccer Complex. The Flames are now unbeaten in five of their last six matches and secured their first road point in Kalamazoo since 2019.
In a physical, evenly-played match from start to finish, UIC (3-4-3, 1-0-1 MVC) grabbed the lead in the 47th minute when senior midfielder Darrell Turcios got behind the Broncos' defense with a run down the right channel. His well-weighted cross through the six-yard box connected with an onrushing Montoya, who slotted home his shot from close range.
WMU (2-6-3, 1-0-1) had a chance to draw level at the 61-minute mark after a VAR review confirmed a handball and gave Vitor Geromel a penalty kick opportunity. However, Cornell read the attempt perfectly, diving to his right and tipping the shot wide of the left post.
A bit more than six minutes later, the Broncos did find the equalizer on a long-range shot by Braden Stevanovic that snaked through traffic low into the net.
WMU finished with a slim 20-19 edge in total shots, while the teams were even in shots on goal (8-8). The Broncos also had a 10-6 advantage on corner kicks.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Saturday's draw at Western Michigan can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Montoya has tied his career high with five goals this season, matching his total from last year when he attended Northern Illinois.
- Cornell tied his career high with seven saves, a mark he first established on Sept. 13 in a 1-0 win over Loyola at Flames Field.
- Cornell's PK save was his first this season and second all-time (the other coming on Oct. 25, 2025, against NIU's Vance Sheffield at Flames Field).
- The all-time series between UIC and Western Michigan remains deadlocked at 7-7-2, as does the record in Kalamazoo (3-3-1).
- UIC earns its first point at Western Michigan since Sept. 28, 2019, when it posted a 4-3 overtime win at WMU.
- Freshman Artem Grinblat tied his career high with four shots for the second match in a row.
UP NEXT: SAINT XAVIER
UIC returns home and steps out of conference one final time this season when the Flames take on Chicagoland foe Saint Xavier for the first time in 35 years at 7 p.m. (CT) next Saturday (Oct. 10) at Flames Field. Tickets are still available for the match, which will also be carried live on ESPN+, with live stats 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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