Entering his third season on the UIC soccer coaching staff is former Indiana University All-American and Major League Soccer standout Aleksey Korol. Since joining head coach John Trask's staff in 2006, Korol has provided the program with the same knowledge and passion for the game that made him one of the most decorated players in Hoosier history. Last season Korol put his championship experience to use during the Flames' unprecedented postseason run, and it paid dividends as UIC reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Young players such as Kevin Stoll and Ian Sarachan provided clutch goal-scoring through the playoff stretch, while veteran attackers Pavle Dundjer and Cesar Zambrano continued to display game-changing offensive skills that brought UIC a Horizon League tournament crown and one win away from a historic College Cup berth. Along with the Elite Eight run that attracted Top 10 rankings at the end of 2007, UIC also received a slew of awards for its offensive stars thanks in part to Korol's work with players on the attack. Dundjer and Zambrano were named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Great Lakes Region Team for the second straight season, while Dundjer was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-America Third Team. Zambrano moved on to the professional game after he was drafted by MLS side Colorado. Korol also had a tremendous impact on the Flames in his first season. UIC went 13-3-5, defeating the likes of nationally-ranked foes Saint Louis and eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara on the road during a nine-match unbeaten streak to open 2006, en route to a Horizon League regular season title and an at-large berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Offensive stars such as Tonci Skroce, Dundjer and Zambrano earned NSCAA/adidas All-Great Lakes Region accolades for their production on the attack, which was another huge aspect of Korol's coaching. With training a big part of his duties, Korol has helped the Flames outlast their opponents. UIC outscored its foes by a 20-2 margin in the second period and overtime in 2006, and in 2007 the Flames had the stamina to take a eight-match unbeaten streak into the Round of Eight. Korol, who played at Indiana when Trask was an assistant coach, concluded his collegiate career in 1999 as the leading point scorer in NCAA Tournament history and the fourth-highest point scorer in the illustrious history of IU soccer. "Aleksey brings a wealth of playing experience dating back to his younger years when he played for Dinamo Kiev long before his truly outstanding career at Indiana University, culminating in back-to-back National Championships for IU," said Trask. "Aleksey will work extensively with the attacking players and will be a tremendous addition to the staff in many ways with his background and love of the game," continued Trask. "With Sean [Phillips] and Aleksey I feel that we have as fine a staff as there is in the country." A 1999 All-American and Soccer America's Player of the Year that season, Korol scored 57 goals and assisted on 35 others for a career point total of 149, the fourth-most in Indiana history. During his All-American season in 1999 he scored a career-high 20 goals and posted 10 assists to become the first IU player in a decade to score 50 points, garnering All-Region and Big Ten Player of the Year honors along the way. At Indiana Korol made three College Cup appearances with the Hoosiers, guiding IU to back-to-back National Championships as a junior and senior. Korol posted 29 points on 12 goals and five helpers in 17 NCAA postseason matches from 1996 through 1999, good for the most points in NCAA Tournament history. He was an All-Big Ten selection in each of his four seasons, winning Big Ten Championships every year he was at Indiana. Drafted by Dallas with the fifth pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft, Korol played two seasons for the Burn, playing in 36 matches and scoring seven goals, and appeared in one game for the Chicago Fire before injury hampered his MLS career. He played in the United Soccer League in 2003 and 2004 before moving to the coaching ranks. Korol has extensive experience coaching in the youth ranks. His experiences in youth coaching range from starting youth academy programs in New York and Indiana as well as training competitive youth travel teams. Korol has also worked the Indiana Soccer Camps and the UIC Soccer Camps. Korol is also a staff coach for Chicago United F.C., a new youth soccer club focusing on creating opportunities for young talented players in the City. ALEKSEY KOROL'S COACHING CAREERASSISTANT COACH - UIC Year Record Postseason 2007 13-6-6 NCAA Quarterfinals 2006 13-3-5 NCAA Second Round
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