Flames Surge Past Murray State in Shootout to Reach MVC Semifinals - UIC Athletics (2024)

CHICAGO (Oct. 29, 2023) – In one of the most exciting matches in program history, the fourth-seeded UIC women's soccer team defeated No. 5 seed Murray State, 4-3 on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship quarterfinals Sunday afternoon at Flames Field. It marks the third time since the program's inception in 2014 the Flames have reached the conference tournament semifinals — in 2019, UIC defeated Northern Kentucky, 1-0 in double overtime in the Horizon League Championship quarterfinals and one season later, the Flames qualified for a smaller four-team Horizon League tournament.

Sophom*ore goalkeeper Trish Georgiou (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) was one of many heroes for UIC on Sunday, coming in off the bench to make three crucial saves for the Flames in the penalty shootout, while redshirt sophom*ore Madison Ferris (Bellevue, Wash./The Bush School) converted the match-winning penalty kick in the sixth round of the shootout for UIC. Junior Kaysey Castro (Fishers, Ind./Fishers/Bowling Green), along with sophom*ores Sophia Jaime (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) and Hannah Gryzik (Elk Grove Village, Ill. Elk Grove), also scored for the Flames in the shootout.

COACH'S COMMENTS
"We had a plan to come out and go at them right from the start. We had excellent chances in the first half, but just couldn't find the goal," said head coach David Nikolic. " The effort and focus were there. As time ticked away in overtime, we found ourselves heading into penalty kicks, something we've been practicing for a few weeks. We're going to spend some time in Des Moines, Iowa, so we'll be well-prepared for the next challenge that awaits the team."

Hear from Head Coach @DavidANikolic on the historic win today over Murray State. pic.twitter.com/U4ktoPK2mu

— UIC Women's Soccer (@UIC_WSOC) October 29, 2023

FIRST HALF

• Both teams started the match aggressively. Murray State had the first solid opportunity 18 minutes in, but UIC redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Keiser (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla./South Walton) came to the Flames' rescue, stopping a close call.
• Jaime and senior Makena Shaw (Fontana, Calif./Los Osos) consistently posed threats for the Flames in the first half, firing back-to-back shot attempts around the 20-minute mark.
• At 24 minutes, a nice run by Jaime led to a pass to Shaw, who then distributed the ball to sophom*ore Makenna Maloy (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville). Maloy's shot was blocked, and when fellow sophom*ore Riley Collett (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) attempted to recover and shoot, her attempt was also blocked.
• Sophom*ore Bella Baker (West Bend, Wis./West Bend) had numerous touches on the ball off the bench. Shortly after she entered the match in the 28^th minute, she rose up for a header off a UIC corner kick, but the MSU goalkeeper made a timely save.
• The Flames finished the first half with a 12-3 shot edge, including a 3-1 lead in shots on goal.

SECOND HALF

• Around the 70-minute mark, freshman defender Julia Thomson (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) came to the Flames' rescue, clearing a Murray State shot off the line to keep the match scoreless.
• UIC put pressure on the Racers throughout regulation, earning 10 of its season-high 15 corner kicks in the second half (including six in the final 17 minutes), but the match remained scoreless as the two sides headed to overtime.

OVERTIME

• In the first of the two 10-minute overtime periods, Murray State had two key opportunities, both in the 98^th minute, but Keiser was there to stop both attempts for the Flames.
• UIC had the best scoring chance for either team in the second overtime, as Jaime took one last on-target shot in the final 10 seconds, but it was stopped by the Murray State defense, sending the match to penalty kicks.

PENALTY KICK SHOOTOUT

• Prior to the shootout, Georgiou came in as goalkeeper for the Flames, making her first appearance since Sept. 28, coincidentally also against Murray State at Flames Field (a 1-0 UIC win).
• The Flames and Racers traded goals during the first two rounds of the shootout, with Castro and Jaime scoring for UIC.
• After a Murray State goal and a Flames' miss put UIC down 3-2 in the shootout, Gerogiou made a key save in round four to keep UIC in the hunt for the victory. Gryzik capitalized by netting her attempt to tie the shootout at 3-3.

TRISH WITH THE SAVE!!!
We are tied 3-3 into the 5th and final round. #ChicagosCollegeTeam #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/WleZQ3iskX

— UIC Women's Soccer (@UIC_WSOC) October 29, 2023

• Both teams then missed their fifth-round attempts, with Georgiou making another crucial save, sending the shootout to sudden victory.
• Following Georgiou's third consecutive save in the top half of the sixth round, Ferris made no mistake, confidently burying her attempt to ignite the Flames' celebration and send the hosts to the conference semifinals.

FIRED UP about this win! ??#ChicagoCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/JdO3Y1vUOx

— UIC Women's Soccer (@UIC_WSOC) October 29, 2023

UP NEXT
The Flames will take on top-seeded Drake at 6 p.m. (CT) Thursday in the MVC semifinals at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines Iowa, The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found on UICFlames.com.

For more information on Flames soccer, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WSOC and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wsoc and @uicflames).

#ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames