South Bend, Ind. – Under the lights at Alumni Soccer Stadium, UIC women's soccer team's historic 2025 season came to an end as they fell to top-ranked Notre Dame 4-0 The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Champions battled hard in their first appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, but the No. 1 Fighting Irish (15-1-3, 8-1-1 ACC) proved to be too much for the Flames (8-8-6, 3-3-3 MVC).
Making their debut in the NCAA Tournament, the Flames went to work against the Fighting Irish. The home team came out quick, though, when Tessa Knapp found the back of the net in the 7
th minute to give the Fighting Irish the early lead. UIC found themselves on the defensive side for most of the half, but would record three shots from Riley Collett, Delaney Engel, and Kaysey Castro. Castro's shot would be the lone one on frame for the first 45 minutes of action. Francesca Faraci, the Flames' starting goalkeeper, made three key saves before the end of the half to keep the Flames within one.
With 45 down and 45 to go, the Flames looked to pick up the pressure. Unfortunately for them, so did the Fighting Irish. Following 11 shots, the Fighting Irish picked up their second of the game off the foot of Charlie Codd. The Flames would have chances, with their best coming in the 69
th minute from Bella Baker and Sophia Jaime. Baker and Jaime would record back-to-back shots, but the Fighting Irish defense came up with huge defensive blocks, keeping the Flames off the scoreboard. In the 84
th minute, the Fighting Irish picked up their third of the game when Codd recorded a brace. In the final minute of action, Notre Dame sealed the victory with their fourth when Ellie Hodsden found the back of the net. At the final whistle, the Flames' 2025 season came to an end.
The 2025 season concludes with the Flames finishing strong, earning the program's first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) title with two come-from-behind victories and two penalty shootout victories in the postseason tournament. Finishing with an 8-8-6 overall record, and a 3-3-3 conference record, the Flames future shines bright for years to come.
The full box score and play-by-play recap can be found
here.
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