Nov. 10, 2000

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC soccer team would like nothing better than to have the sequel to its 1999 season conclude with a similar ending this year - a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Flames, who made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tourney last fall, will have a shot at doing just that tomorrow afternoon when they face Fairleigh Dickinson in a NCAA Play-In game at Flames Field at noon. Winner of that contest will earn an automatic bid into the "Big Dance."

UIC will bring a 16-3-2 overall record into the match while the Knights, winners of the Northeast Conference Tournament, have compiled a 13-7-1 overall mark.

UIC has been on cruise control in its last six games, all victories, including three wins last week en route to its second consecutive Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament title. Certainly no one-man show, the Flames had nine different players account for their 10 goals in the post-season with leading scorer Eric Lukin (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) the only two-goal scorer.

"I think we've shown that we are not a one-man or even two-man team," Head Coach Sasha Begovic said. "You can't just stop one player and stop our team - we showed that over the weekend. We've had to battle with some injuries, but everyone has stepped it up for us."

In addition to a strong offensive showing, the Flames' defense was superb in their run to the tourney title. Goalkeeper Chris Jamal (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) was solid between the posts as he did not allow a goal throughout the entire tournament while stopping a penalty kick against UW-Milwaukee in the semifinals.

Tomorrow, however, the Flames' defense will have its hands full with Fairleigh Dickinson leading scorer, junior forward Dirceu Hurtado, who has tallied 17 goals, including both game-winners during the NEC Tournament, and nine assists this season.

Much more of a one-man show with Hurtado leading the way, Fairleigh Dickinson's next highest scorer is senior midfielder Danny Lorenzo, who has netted five goals and eight assists for 18 points.

"Fairleigh Dickinson is a very good team and obviously any team playing at this time of year is going to be a tough opponent," Begovic said. "They've got several quality wins this season, including two victories over nationally-ranked Maryland-Baltimore County."

One thing the Knights don't have this year, however, is a non-conference road win. In four road contests, FDU has a 1-1 tie against Old Dominion, a 2-0 loss at William & Mary, a 4-0 loss at Rutgers and a 2-0 defeat at Lehigh.