CHICAGO — Junior midfielder Martin Montoya scored a pair of goals in the first half and the UIC men's soccer team (1-3-1) returned from a 10-day layoff and opened its home schedule in style with an energetic 2-0 win over Western Illinois Thursday night before a boisterous crowd of 807 fans at Flames Field.
Junior midfielder Carlos Nevarez assisted on Montoya's first score in the 20th minute, dropping a perfectly-weighted ball into the box and into the path of the onrushing Montoya who tapped it in from close range. On the second tally in the 44th minute, freshman forward Semin Razman picked up his first collegiate point, sending a pass down the right flank to the edge of the box. Montoya outmuscled his mark to the ball, took a touch inside to improve his angle and then precisely curled his left-footed shot inside the far left post.
WIU (2-3-1) would go a man down just before halftime when Jokubas Samsonas was sent off with a straight red card. The Flames then kept up the pressure in the second half with the man advantage, and Montoya came inches shy of the program's first hat trick in seven seasons, setting off on a left flank sprint in the 89th minute before his shot for the far right post just skipped wide of the target.
UIC finished with a 27-7 edge in total shots, including an 11-3 margin in shots on goal, and earned nine of the 11 corner kicks in the match. Graduate student goalkeeper Owen Cornell went the distance between the pipes, recording three saves to pick up his first shutout of the season.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Thursday's win over Western Illinois can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Montoya tied his career high with two goals, having last netted a brace on Nov. 5, 2025, against Bowling Green when he was playing for Northern Illinois.
- Montoya nearly became the first UIC player to post a hat trick since Oct. 26, 2019, when Bukola Abdulwahab pulled off the feat on the road at IUPUI (now known as IU Indy). The last home hat trick by a Flame was on Sept. 8, 2019 (Bar Hazut vs. Valparaiso).
- UIC's season-high 27 shots were the most for the Flames since Sept. 11, 2025, when they coincidentally had 27 shots in their last meeting with Western Illinois.
- The Flames take a 13-12-1 series lead over the Leathernecks and have won four in a row, as well as going unbeaten in their last 13 meetings with WIU.
- Thursday's match was the latest home opener for UIC in 21 years, since they played their first match on campus on Sept. 18, 2005, nabbing a 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois.
- Cornell posted his fifth career shutout and first since Nov. 9, 2025 (1-0 in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals at Belmont).
UP NEXT: LOYOLA
It's a quick turnaround for UIC as the Flames are back home Sunday night for a matchup with crosstown foe Loyola. Kickoff from Flames Field is set for 7 p.m. (CT) and the program's annual soccer scarf giveaway will be held following the match, along with player autographs as part of our Sparky's Kids Club match. ESPN+ will also broadcast Sunday's match live with Sam Brief calling the action, while live stats will also be provided through 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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