DAYTON, Ohio – The UIC men's soccer team used a goal scored by Oscar Rivero with four minutes remaining to capture the 2016 Horizon League Championship with a 1-0 win over No. 1 Wright State Saturday night at Alumni Field. With the win, the Flames earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The tournament title is the fourth for the program (1999, 2000, 2007), the first since 2007, a year that UIC advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, and the first under the direction of head coach Sean Phillips. Additionally, the Flames will head to the big dance for the sixth time (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008) and will find out their opponent on Monday during the Selection Show at noon CT on NCAA.com.

"First, I want to congratulate Wright State," said Phillips. "Coach Davis has done a tremendous job with this program and they had an outstanding year. They deserve all of the accolades they have earned, individually and collectively, this season.

"To win this game tonight, our guys had to put in a championship effort and that's exactly what they did. We knew Andrew (Putna) and the defense were going to need to step up, and they did. It's always great to watch seniors play their best soccer in games like this. They were pivotal tonight in helping us get a very well-deserved win. Now we look forward to representing the Horizon League in the NCAA Tournament."
 

UIC put together 12 shots in the match and had six come in the final 20 minutes of play. Oscar Gonzalez, who scored the game-winner in the semifinals, led the team with a matched career-high seven attempts, as Rivero (3), Max Todd (1) and Dimitris Stantzalis (1) made up the remaining shots.
 
Andrew Putna was a difference maker for the Flames as he came up with a season-high six saves on 13 shots faced to secure his seventh shutout of the season.
 
UIC got a jump start on possession in the opening minutes, resulting in Gonzalez recording two shots with one on goal. Following a blocked shot for Todd, the Flames relied on a pair of stellar back-to-back saves from Putna in the 13th minute to keep the game scoreless.
 
The defense was able to hold off the Raiders until UIC could get off another pair of attempts from Gonzalez and Rivero but both were shot wide.
 
A mere two shots came in the remaining 15 minutes of the first half as both belonged to Wright State, with Putna making another save and the second shot going just wide.
 
Coming back from halftime, the Raiders did not make it easy for the Flames as they broke out with four shots in a span of three minutes, with UIC earning credit with a team save and Putna being forced to make another stop.
 
Even as the Flames gained back some of the control, it was Wright State again to get the next quality attempt that credited another save for Putna. UIC was able to quickly come back and execute its first shot of the half on a chance sent wide in the 62nd minute from Gonzalez.
 
After a blocked shot for the Raiders, Gonzalez took his fifth shot of the match wide before Strantzalis earned a look that resulted in the Flames' second shot on goal of the game. Gonzalez was able to record another attempt four minutes later when he hooked the ball resulting in a save.
 
The final 10 minutes presented UIC with more chances as they picked up their attack. The first look came for Rivero when he was stopped and then Gonzalez took a shot high.
 
With four minutes remaining, the Flames were granted a corner kick that Todd sent in and had connect with the head of Rivero to put the ball into the right corner of the net for the eventual game-winner, his fourth of the year, as Todd picked up his ninth assist.
 
At the conclusion of the match, Putna, Todd and Gonzalez were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Rivero earned the title of Tournament MVP.
 
The first round of the NCAA Tournament is set to begin Thursday with opponent and location to be determined Monday.