CHICAGO — Junior midfielder Sebastian Khoury scored his third goal of the season in the 61st minute and the UIC men's soccer pushed No. 13 Notre Dame to the edge before settling for a 1-1 draw with the Fighting Irish on Tuesday night before an enthusiastic crowd of 611 fans at Flames Field. It's the highest-ranked opponent UIC has tied or defeated since Sept. 6, 2014 (0-0 vs. No. 7 Michigan State) and the Flames' first result in seven meetings with Notre Dame.
Khoury's equalizer for UIC (3-4-2) just past the hour mark came on a wicked left-footed shot from the top right of the penalty area following a pinpoint crossfield pass from junior midfielder Carlos Nevarez, who picked up his team-high fifth assist of the season. The score negated an 11th-minute tally by Notre Dame (5-2-3) and nearly set the stage for match-winning strikes from either freshman midfielder (and newly-named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week) Artem Grinblat, whose 65th-minute shot was cleared off the line, and Nevarez himself, who rang the crossbar with a curling shot from the top left of the box in the 71st minute.
Playing against his former team, UIC graduate student goalkeeper Owen Cornell made four saves, including a big stop in the 73rd minute to keep scores level. UIC finished with a 20-16 edge in total shots, including a 9-5 spread in shots on goal, while corner kicks were even at 4-4.
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Tuesday's draw with Notre Dame can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UIC's last result (tie or win) against a Top 25 team came on Sept. 3, 2021, when the Flames played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw at No. 16 Saint Louis.
- At No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, Notre Dame is the highest-ranked opponent UIC has tied or defeated since Sept. 6, 2014, when the Flames held No. 7 Michigan State to a 0-0 double-overtime draw at Flames Field.
- UIC earns its first point in seven career meetings with Notre Dame (0-6-1) and the Fighting Irish tied their fewest goals scored in any series game to date (ND posted a 1-0 win on Nov. 15, 2006 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament).
- UIC claims its second-ever point against a current Atlantic Coast Conference school and first since Sept. 13, 2009, when the Flames played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Louisville in the UofL Invitational.
- Khoury's three goals this year (all in the past two matches) tie his career high for a single season, set last year as well.
- Nevarez has five assists, one shy of his career high and team-leading mark from a season ago.
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 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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