DES MOINES, Iowa — The UIC men's soccer team was on the front foot for much of Friday's Missouri Valley Conference match at Drake, but a wild end-to-end sequence in the final three minutes came out in the hosts favor as the Bulldogs snatched a 1-0 victory over the Flames at Mediacom Stadium.
Playing a man up for the final 46 minutes after a Drake red card, UIC (4-6-4, 1-2-2 MVC) had several good looks at breaking the ice, most notably 30 seconds apart in the 87th and 88th minutes on back-to-back shots by junior midfielders Sebastian Khoury and Carlos Nevarez, both of which required alert saves by the Drake keeper. Off the second shot, the Bulldogs (5-7-4, 1-4-1) drove an outlet just beyond the midfield stripe, where the Drake striker delivered a bicycle kick over the onrushing Flames' defense and into the vacated net.
UIC finished with an 8-6 edge in total shots, while Drake had a 5-2 margin in shots on goal. The Flames also earned a 5-3 advantage on corner kicks.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Friday's match at Drake can be found here.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This marked just the third time UIC has been shut out in its last 35 matches, dating back to the end of the 2024 season. Two of those have come at the hands of Drake (the other was a scoreless draw on Oct. 3, 2025, at Flames Field), while the third was in this year's opener at Tulsa (1-0).
- Drake takes a 7-6-1 lead in the all-time series with UIC (5-2 in Des Moines). The Bulldogs have also now shut out the Flames in their last three series meetings (also 1-0 in 2024 at Mediacom Stadium).
UP NEXT: BOWLING GREEN
UIC returns home next Wednesday, Nov. 4, for its final match of the regular season, playing host to conference leader Bowling Green at Flames Field with the match sponsored by UI Health. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT), with the contest airing live on ESPN+ and live stats available at
UICFlames.com. A post-match Teddy Bear Toss is planned, with fans who bring a new, wrapped stuffed animal having the chance to toss those gifts onto the pitch after the match and they will be donated to pediatric cancer patients at the University of Illinois Cancer Center on UIC's West Campus. Fans bringing those stuffed animals also will have the opportunity to take home a special UIC Soccer Scarf (while supplies last).
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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