CHICAGO — Deuces were wild for UIC men's soccer on Friday night, as junior midfielder Sebastian Khoury and freshman midfielder Artem Grinblat each netted a pair of goals, and junior midfielder Carlos Nevarez and sophomore defender Daniel Zepeda both handed out two assists as the Flames opened their Missouri Valley Conference schedule with a 4-2 victory over Bradley at Flames Field. The win was also No. 150 in the 17-year career of UIC head coach Sean Phillips, who is the winningest coach in program history and the winningest active coach in the MVC.
Khoury got the Flames (3-4-1, 1-0 MVC) going with his first goal of the season in the 31st minute, scoring from a tight angle on the left wing after passes from Nevarez and senior defender
Sota Nakazono. Bradley (2-2-5, 0-1) got the equalizer less than eight minutes later, but Grinblat put UIC in front for good when he converted a penalty kick 1:56 into the second half for his first collegiate goal. His second would come in the 72nd minute, the beneficiary of some sublime close-quarter passing by Nevarez and Zepeda on the left side of the box. The Braves pulled one back with their own penalty kick two minutes later, but Khoury restored UIC's two-goal margin in the 79th minute, pouncing on a rebound of Zepeda's dipping shot and coolly securing his brace.
The Flames finished with a stout 27-9 edge in total shots (13-3 in the second half), including a 12-5 spread in shots on goal (9-2 in the second half). Graduate student goalkeeper
Owen Cornell made two saves and Nakazono swept another shot off the line in the first half.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Friday's win over Bradley can be found
here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Friday marked the first time UIC had two players score twice in the same match since Sept. 6, 2019, when Bar Hazut tallied a hat trick and All-American/MLS first-round draft pick Jesus Perez scored twice in a 5-1 win over Valparaiso at Flames Field.
- Grinblat is the first UIC freshman to post a brace since Nov. 10, 2018, when Josiah Ash scored twice in a 3-1 Horizon League Tournament championship match victory at Wright State, propelling the Flames to their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Khoury posted his first career two-goal match. Last year (his first at UIC after one season at Eastern Illinois), he scored three of his four career goals, the most recent on Oct. 18, 2025, in a 2-2 draw vs. Evansville at Flames Field.
- Khoury and Grinblat are the second and third UIC players to score twice in a match this year. Martin Montoya potted a brace in a 2-0 win over Western Illinois on Sept. 10 at Flames Field.
- This was the first time UIC had two players record two assists in the same match since Oct. 14, 2023, when Luka Nedic and Andres Moreno were each credited with a pair of assists in a 5-1 win over Evansville at Flames Field.
- Nevarez has a team-high four assists this year and helpers in three of the last four matches. His two assists tied his career high for the third time, having previously notched a pair of dimes at home in a 4-0 victory over Eastern Illinois (Aug. 24, 2025) and just over a week later in a 3-2 win at Northwestern (Sept. 1, 2025).
- Zepeda tied his career high with two assists, having also done so on Oct. 18, 2025, in a 2-2 draw vs. Evansville at Flames Field.
- UIC's season-high four goals were the most it has scored since Oct. 7, 2025 (a 5-4 loss at Marquette), and most in a victory since Sept. 11, 2025 (5-3 over Western Illinois at Flames Field). They were also the most goals for the Flames in an MVC match since Sept. 28, 2024 (a 4-2 win at Northern Illinois).
- UIC is 13-8-2 all-time against Bradley (8-2 at Flames Field) and is unbeaten in its last 10 matches against the Braves (8-0-2). This was the most goals scored by either side in the series since Oct. 23, 2022 (a 6-2 UIC win in Peoria).
- UIC improves to 2-2-1 in MVC openers since joining the conference in 2022. This was the Flames' first win in their Valley lidlifter since 2023 (2-0 at Belmont). All-time, UIC evens its record in conference openers at 19-19-6, including prior memberships in the Horizon League from 1994-2021 (known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1994-2000) and the Mid-Continent Conference from 1983-93 (now known as the Summit League).
- Phillips is the winningest coach in UIC soccer history and winningest active coach in the MVC, now sporting a 150-111-33 record in his 17 seasons at the Flames' helm.
UP NEXT: #10 NOTRE DAME
UIC wraps up its five-match homestand next Tuesday (Sept. 29) with a 7 p.m. (CT) against No. 10 Notre Dame at Flames Field. It will be Hometown Heroes Night at UIC, as the Flames honor those who have served and continue to serve our community and our country. It will also be Notre Dame's first visit to UIC since 2022. Tickets are still available and the match can also be seen live on ESPN+.
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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