CHICAGO – Fresh off its longest season-opening road trip in more than two decades, the UIC men's soccer team is finally back on the familiar pitch at Flames Field as it opens a school-record six-match homestand starting Thursday with a 7 p.m. (CT) contest against crosstown rival DePaul. It will be the next edition of the UIC Campus Celebration, while this year's edition of the UIC Soccer Scarf will be given away following the match.

All UIC home matches are free to attend for UIC students, staff and youths in eighth grade and under, while tickets for adults and non-students (in ninth grade and above) can be purchased at the gate on match night, and discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more adults. ESPN+ will carry the match live with Scott Sudikoff on the call, while live stats can also be found at UICFlames.com. 

MATCH #5
DePaul "Blue Demons" (1-1-2, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) at UIC "Flames" (0-3-1, 0-0-0 MVC)
When: Thursday, Sept. 3rd  |  7 p.m. CT
Where: Chicago, Ill.  |  Flames Field
Live Coverage: ESPN+  |  Live Stats
Tickets: Free for UIC students, staff and youths 8th grade and under; adults and youths 9th grade and older are $5 each; discounted tickets ($3 each) for groups of 10 or more adults.

SERIES NOTES
Separated by only four miles and no strangers to one another in virtually all athletic settings, UIC and DePaul are slated to meet for the 37th time in men's soccer, with the Flames maintaining a 18-15-3 series lead over the Blue Demons. However, DePaul is unbeaten in its last four meetings against UIC, with last year's encounter at Wish Field in Lincoln Park ending in a 1-1 draw after the Blue Demons netted the equalizer with under six minutes to play. The Flames will be seeking their first win over DePaul since Sept. 15, 2021, a 1-0 win also at Wish Field, while UIC's most recent home victory against the Blue Demons came on Sept. 17, 2019 (a 4-1 verdict).

UIC is 11-5-2 all-time at home against DePaul, with the teams' last match on Flames Field resulting in the highest-scoring contest in series history, a 4-3 Blue Demon victory in the 2024 season opener (Aug. 22, 2024). UIC took the early lead less than four minutes into the contest, then had to claw back after DePaul surged in front, with the Flames netting a pair of goals in the final 15 minutes before coming up just shy.

THE CHICAGO CONNECTION
Thursday's match is the first of three for UIC against Chicagoland rivals during the upcoming homestand, with future contests on tap against Loyola (Sept. 13) and Northwestern (Sept. 19). Last year, the Flames went 3-0-1 against Windy City opponents, defeating Northwestern (3-2), Loyola (3-1) and Chicago State (2-0), along with their 1-1 draw at DePaul. Tacking on a 2-0 win over Loyola midway through the 2024 campaign and UIC is unbeaten in its last five contests against intracity rivals since a 1-0 loss at home to No. 12 Northwestern on Sept. 2, 2024.

HOME SWEET HOME
UIC's school-record six-match homestand covers the entire month of September, with a full slate of promotions available here. The program's previous longest regular season homestand came during the 2000 season, when the Flames played five in a row at home — Green Bay (L, 2-0), Cleveland State (W, 4-0), DePaul (W, 3-2), Northwestern (W, 2-1) and Western Michigan (L, 1-0). UIC would finish that 2000 season ranked 21st in the nation, winning the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now Horizon League) Tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament — that postseason run included another stretch of five in a row at home.

LAST TIME OUT: NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Sophomore forward Antonio Delgado scored his first career goal in the 59th minute to draw UIC level, but Northern Illinois scored on its only shot on goal of the second half just 29 seconds later and that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 final on Sunday night at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in DeKalb, Ill.

Delgado scored after junior midfielder Sebastian Khoury saw his initial shot stopped as the Flames wiped out NIU's initial score that came just 81 seconds into the contest. UIC maintained constant pressure on the Huskies' back line throughout the night, finishing with an 18-10 edge in total shots, including a 12-3 margin in the second half. The tallies in the shots on goal department were even more lopsided, with the Flames putting 12 tries on frame, compared to only three for Northern Illinois (and UIC had a 9-1 shots on goal advantage in the second half alone). 

ON THE FRONT FOOT
Despite still seeking its first win of the season, UIC has had the upper hand for large portions of all four matches to date. Thus far, the Flames have outshot their opponents by nearly a 2-to-1 margin (69-35), including an even wider spread in shots on goal (37-15) and almost a 3-to-1 advantage on corner kicks (40-14).

PRESEASON HONORS
Senior midfielder Darrell Turcios (a second-team all-conference pick last year) was selected to the Preseason All-MVC Team via a vote of the Valley's seven head coaches, the conference announced Aug. 17. In addition, UIC was picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches' balloting, earning 29 points to place behind Western Michigan (44 pts.), Drake (40 pts.) and Evansville (34 pts.).  

UP NEXT: WESTERN ILLINOIS
UIC will have a week off before returning to the pitch at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 to take on Western Illinois at Flames Field. It will be the nightcap of a UIC-WIU soccer doubleheader, with the Flames' women hosting the Leathernecks in the opener at 4 p.m. (CT). In addition, UIC will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Night, with special concessions and halftime performances scheduled to honor Chicago's diverse Hispanic community and recognize the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15. ESPN+ will broadcast both matches of the Sept. 10 doubleheader live with Conor Clingen 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 men's soccer, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_msoc and @uicflames).

 
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