CHICAGO – Winners in three of its last four outings, the UIC men's soccer team closes out its five-match homestand that has spanned the month of September when the Flames play host to No. 10 Notre Dame at 7 p.m. (CT) Tuesday on Flames Field. The Fighting Irish are the second power-conference opponent to come to UIC this season, following Northwestern's visit on Sept. 19, and it marks the first time since 2009 that the Flames will be hosting two power-conference teams (that year, UIC tied Michigan State, 0-0, and defeated Wisconsin, 3-0).

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 day, and discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more adults.

MATCH #9
No. 10 Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" (5-2-2, 2-1-0 ACC) at UIC "Flames" (3-4-1, 1-0-0 MVC)
When: Tuesday, Sept. 29th  |  7 p.m. CT
Where: Chicago, Ill.  |  Flames Field
Live Coverage: ESPN+  |  Live Stats
Promotions: Hometown Heroes Night 
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
This will mark the seventh all-time meeting between UIC and Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish having won the first six encounters (most recently a 5-0 decision on Oct. 22, 2024, at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium). For only the second time in those seven series matches, the site will be Flames Field, where Notre Dame posted a 4-2 victory over UIC on Oct. 18, 2022. On Tuesday, UIC will be playing a current Atlantic Coast Conference school for the first time since Aug. 30, 2015, when the Flames fell 2-1 at SMU.

AGAINST THE TOP 25
Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 in last week's United Soccer Coaches poll and is expected to remain in the Top 25 when this week's survey comes out on Tuesday (the Fighting Irish are No. 10 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and No. 14 in the College Soccer News poll, both of which were released Monday). Notre Dame is also the second UIC opponent in the past three outings to own a win over a top-two opponent prior to facing the Flames, with the Fighting Irish having posted a 3-1 victory at No. 1 Stanford on Sept. 20 (Northwestern downed No. 2 Maryland, 4-0 on Sept. 11, eight days before NU came to Flames Field).

Northwestern is also the most recent ranked opponent UIC has faced, when the 12th-ranked Wildcats visited Flames Field on Sept. 2, 2024, and posted a 1-0 win. The last time UIC played a top-10 opponent was Aug. 25, 2022, when the Flames fell at No. 8 Kentucky, 2-0. The last top-10 team to come to Flames Field was No. 7 Michigan State on Sept. 6, 2014, with UIC holding the Spartans to a 0-0 double-overtime draw.

LAST TIME OUT: BRADLEY
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 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 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.

ON THE FRONT FOOT
During all eight matches this season, UIC has had the upper hand for large portions of each contest, making its 3-4-1 record quite deceiving. In fact, the Flames have recorded almost as many shots on goal (71) as their opponents have total shots (73) to date. Overall, UIC has outshot its opponents by more than a 2-to-1 margin (158-73), including similar spreads in shots on goal (71-36) and on corner kicks (68-29).

NCAA RANKINGS
UIC ranks second in the nation in both shots per match (19.75) and shots on goal per match (8.88), as well as third in corner kicks per match (8.5). Individually, Sebastian Khoury is sixth nationally in shots on goal per match (2.0) and 13th in shot accuracy (.667).

UP NEXT: WESTERN MICHIGAN
UIC returns to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday when the Flames travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a 6 p.m. (CT) match at Western Michigan. The match will be streamed live on the Broncos' YouTube Channel, while live stats will be available 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 day. 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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