CHICAGO – On Flames Field for the first time in 2026, the UIC women's soccer team welcomed the Eastern Illinois Panthers for a non-conference match. Through 90 minutes of action, the Flames (0-1-1, 0-0 MVC) would knock on the door of the Panthers' (1-0-1, 0-0 OVC) defense multiple times but would fall short of finding the back of the net. At the final whistle, the Flames and Panthers ended in a nil-nil draw.
Prior to kickoff, the Flames celebrated their 2025 MVC Championship with a banner unveiling.
FIRST HALF
Following a lightning delay six minutes into the match, the Flames and Panthers were back underway at Flames Field. Eastern Illinois recorded the first shot of the contest in the 9
th minute, but
Bella Lister came up with the save to keep the score tied.
Emmy Higgins gave UIC their first shot of the game in the 10
th minute.
The Flames would go on to carry much of the possession throughout the half while racking up the shots.
Becca Ruggiero and
Delaney Engel recorded opportunities in the 16
th and 28
th minutes, respectively, with Ruggiero's shot saved by Ella Kratochvil.
At the end of the half, the Flames outshot the Panthers 8-2, with four shots on goal compared to one.
SECOND HALF
Coming out of halftime tied nil-nil, the Flames had an early opportunity in the 48
th minute when Higgins lifted a dipping shot towards the goal from outside of the box, forcing Kratochvil to make a fingertip save.
Both sides continued to fight for the opening goal throughout the second half, with UIC creating most of the opportunities.
Emily Crotty,
Sydney Bollis,
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Gracie Lisota, and
Camryn Ries all recorded a shot.
As time ticked away, the Flames took one last shot in the 88
th minute but missed high. UIC and Eastern Illinois ended in a nil-nil draw.
The full box score and play-by-play recap can be found
here.
UP NEXT
The Flames will return to action on Thursday when they welcome the Eastern Washington Eagles to Flames Field. The non-conference match will kick off at 6:00 p.m.
UIC will be celebrating 'Hometown Heroes' night, where they will celebrate heroes across the Chicagoland community at halftime.
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit
UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (
@UIC_WSOC and
@UICFlames) and Instagram (
@uic_wsoc and
@uicflames).
#ChicagosCollegeTeam
