CHICAGO (Oct. 29, 2023) – In one of the most exciting matches in program history, the No. 4 UIC women's soccer team defeated No. 5 Murray State 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals. Sophomore goalkeeper
Trish Georgiou (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) came in off the bench to make three crucial saves for the Flames in the penalty shootout, while
Madison Ferris (Bellevue, Wash./The Bush School) scored the match-winning shootout goal for UIC.
Kaysey Castro (Fishers, Ind./Fishers Bowling Green),
Sophia Jaime (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso)
and Hannah Gryzik (Elk Grove Village, Ill. Elk Grove
) also scored for the Flames in the shootout.
The victory is UIC's second postseason win in program history. The Flames defeated Northern Kentucky 1-0 in 2OT in 2019.
COACH'S COMMENTS
"We had a plan to come out and go at them right from the start. We had excellent chances in the first half, but just couldn't find the goal," said head coach
David Nikolic. " The effort and focus were there. As time ticked away in overtime, we found ourselves heading into penalty kicks, something we've been practicing for a few weeks. We're going to spend some time in Des Moines, Iowa, so we'll be well-prepared for the next challenge that awaits the team."
FIRST HALF
- Both teams started the match aggressively. 18 minutes in, UIC faced a defensive challenge, but starting goalkeeper Lauren Keiser (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla./South Walton) came to the Flames' rescue, stopping a close call.
- Sophia Jaime and Makena Shaw (Fontana, Calif./Los Osos) consistently posed threats for the Flames, taking back-to-back shot attempts around the 20-minute mark.
- At 24 minutes, a nice run by Jaime led to a pass to Shaw, who then distributed the ball to Makenna Maloy (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville). Her shot was blocked, and when Riley Collett (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin/Fond du Lac) attempted to recover and shoot, it was blocked once again.
- Bella Baker (West Bend, Wis./West Bend) had numerous touches on the ball off the bench. Shortly after she entered the match, the team positioned itself for a corner kick, which she headed, but the Murray State goalkeeper made a timely save.
- The Flames finished the first half with 12 shots.
SECOND HALF
- Around the 70-minute mark, Lauren Keiser came out of the box, nearly allowing a Racers goal. However, freshman defender Julia Thomson (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) made the stop, serving as the second line of defense.
- With five minutes remaining, a steal by Shelsea Rigby (Hillsborough, New Jersey/Hillsborough) led to a cross to Hannah Gryzik that was unsuccessful.
- Murray State put pressure on the Flames throughout regulation but the match remained scoreless as the two sides headed to overtime.
OVERTIME
- Murray State had an opportunity to score off a fast break, but Yulexi Diaz (Chicago, Ill./Eric Solorio Academy) executed a great defensive play to stop the Racers' attack.
- Neither team was able to find the back of the net through the first ten minutes of overtime.
- In the second overtime half, both teams had opportunities, but were unable to score. UIC's closest opportunity came during the final moments of the second overtime as Jaime took one last on-target shot, but it was stopped by Murray State's goalkeeper.
- UIC concluded the match with 15 corner kicks, which marks a season-high.
- With the tie still scoreless after the two ten-minute halves, the programs headed in to a winner-take-all penalty shootout.
PENALTY KICK SHOOTOUT
- Prior to the shootout, Trish Georgiou (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) came in as goalkeeper for the Flames. The sophomore hadn't played since UIC's 1-0 victory against Murray State in late September.
- The Flames and Racers traded goals during the first two rounds of the shootout, with Castro and Jaime scoring for UIC.
- After a Murray State goal and a Flames miss put UIC down 3-2 in the shootout, Gerogiou made a key save to keep UIC in the hunt for the victory. A goal by Hannah Gryzik tied the shootout at 3-3.
- Both teams missed their fifth attempts with Georgiou making a crucial save in net.
- Following Georgiou's third save in a row, Ferris buried the ball to the back of the net to send the Flames to the conference semifinals.
UP NEXT
The Flames are only two wins away from reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The No. 4 Flames will face off against No. 1 Drake in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 2. In the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Semifinals. The 6 p.m. contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found on the Flames' website.
For more information on Flames soccer, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wsoc and @uicflames).
#ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames