Aug. 31, 2001

Playing defense is a thankless job - your efforts often go unnoticed. Heroes score the goals - they don't prevent them.

Three individuals on the UIC soccer team that often play out of the spotlight, but have been a big part of launching the Flames' program into the national spotlight are Jay DeMerit, Kevin Brady and Joe Morelli.

That trio has come together to spearhead what Head Coach Sasha Begovic considers to be one of the strongest defensive units he's had in his 12 years at UIC.

"I would have to say that this is certainly one of best defensive teams I've ever had at UIC - for sure the deepest," Begovic said. "With Jay, Joe and Kevin all back, we're very solid. Those three all work very hard. They've all played together for two years and are a big reason we have achieved the success that we have."

The success Begovic speaks of includes back-to-back conference regular-season and tournament championships as well as consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Flames also racked up a school record 18 wins last fall while reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tourney for the first time ever. UIC finished the year ranked 21st in the country.

DeMerit, Brady and Morelli, who hope to lead the Flames to a three-peat this fall, all arrived at UIC on different paths.

DeMerit traveled south to join the Flames three years ago following a standout career at Bay Port High School in Green Bay, Wis. A starter in the backfield since early in his rookie year, DeMerit has enjoyed his position with the Flames.

"I like playing defense because you have one guy to mark, and it's you against him," DeMerit said. "Your job is to stop him from scoring to give your team a chance to win. Playing defense is a thankless job, but your team is not going to go very far without a strong defense."

A solid contributor for UIC, both offensively and defensively, DeMerit has tallied seven goals and 11 assists in his career and entered the 2001 campaign ranked 10th on the all-time assists list. Last fall, the 22-year-old registered three goals, including the game-winner in the Flames' 2-1 win over Wright State that clinched the squad's second straight regular-season conference title. Following the year DeMerit earned first team all-conference honors as well as a spot on the All-Midwest Team.

Equally successful in the classroom, DeMerit is a three-time academic all-conference honoree that will graduate in the spring of 2003 with a degree in industrial design.

Brady, who traveled the shortest distance to become a Flame, hails from nearby Elgin, Ill., and was a part of St. Charles High School's soccer domination in the mid 1990's, which included a pair of state championship titles.

As a rookie, Brady walked on to the Flames' program and quickly worked his way into the starting lineup. A feisty competitor, the finance major tallied one goal and three assists as a freshman and helped out on a pair of goals in his sophomore campaign. A senior now, Brady has continued to work hard and last season started in all 24 games while passing off six assists.

One of six St. Charles grads on the 2001 UIC roster, Brady is tied with DeMerit for 10th on the all-time assists list with 11.

A native of Holly, Mich., Morelli made the trip west to join the Flames after Begovic discovered him at a tournament in Florida and convinced him to come to UIC.

Right from the start, Morelli made an immediate impact as he earned a starting spot as sweeper for the Flames. At sweeper, the junior is UIC's last line of defense before the goalkeeper - a job that requires calm nerves under pressure. Morelli, however, has handled it well and credits much of his success on his defensive partners.

"It's really easy playing back there with Kevin and Jay - I don't have to do much work with them," Morelli said. "After two years, I know what they're going to do and they know what I'm going to do. We work really well together."

Last season, Morelli started in all 24 games and tallied his first collegiate goal in UIC's 2-1 win over Northwestern. The exercise physiology major also picked up a pair of assists and following the year earned all-conference second team honors.

The defensive trio of DeMerit, Brady and Morelli will be a big in key in the Flames' success this season and they will have the duty of incorporating 10 newcomers into the winning mix.

"This team has a lot of talent, but it's a matter of working together," DeMerit said of the 2001 squad. "That's why our defense has been so strong the last few years - Joe, Kevin and I all work really well together. If you go into a game all thinking the same, like the three of us do, you already have an edge before the game even starts. We need to get the entire team thinking that way."

Prior to the start of the season, coaches both regionally and nationally were thinking the same way about the Flames and their chance to continue the winning ways.

UIC earned its first-ever national preseason ranking as it landed at 21st in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll while Horizon League skippers also pegged the Flames as the team to beat in its preseason poll.

One thing is certain, in order to beat UIC, opponents will have to get past Jay DeMerit, Kevin Brady and Joe Morelli to do it.