UIC Claims 2018 #HLMSOC Championship
Box Score
DAYTON, Ohio – The No. 2 seed UIC Flames earned a 3-1 win over top-seed Wright State on Saturday to clinch the 2018 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday from Alumni Field. The Flames earn their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, becoming the first #HLMSOC team since Milwaukee did it four times in 2002-05 to accomplish the feat.
The Flames took over the match early on as Josiah Ash found the back of the net in the fifth minute as he collected deflection and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. UIC went up 2-0 later in the first half when Oscar Gonzalez put a corner into the box for Markell Sadler in the 36th minute who headed it to Pau Mateo for the tap in. It was Sadler’s second assist of the championship match.
UIC held on to the two-goal advantage until the 82nd minute when Dominik Tajak collected a pass from Deri Corfe up the left side of the field and took a shot to the far post to make the score 2-1. The Flames would seal the championship with just two minutes to play as Ash scored his second goal of the game when he took a shot on a breakaway off the left post and into the goal.
UIC will enter the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament for the eighth time since 1999. The 2018 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship bracket will be announced Monday, Nov. 12 on NCAA.com.
Horizon League All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Jacob Graiber, UIC
Josiah Ash, UIC
Nestor Garcia, UIC
Oscar Gonzalez, UIC
Deri Corfe, Wright State
Harvey Slade, Wright State
Joel Sundell, Wright State
Alan Aguilar, IUPUI
Sean Siasia, IUPUI
Evan Conway, Milwaukee
Vuk Latinovich, Milwaukee