Nkusuwila Zulu and Josh Torres each scored their first goal of the season, and UIC picked up three points on the road with a 2-0 win over Oakland.  It was the third straight win, and third straight shutout, for the Flames.

Sean Phillips' Summary
"Oakland has a heck of a team.  There's a reason they were picked first in the league, and they showed it in a number of areas.  They created several good chances, and we did as well.  The game turned our way in a couple of moments, which was the key to the game between two teams that have been toward the top of the league the last several years.

"I want to compliment Todd and the Oakland grounds staff.  The work they've put in the last couple of years, and the work they put in this week, made the difference in a quality soccer game on a quality surface."
 
Turning Points

• Zulu got the Flames on the board in the 18^th minute.  Eddie Garcia played out of the deep corner to the corner of the six, from where Zulu lifted a shot with one touch to the upper left 90.
• Juan Gutierrez cleared a ball out of the Flames' defensive box, connecting with Torres, who dribbled the rest of the field, stayed on the ball after a couple of challenges, and got himself open for a shot after tremendous individual effort.  He slotted the ball inside the right post for a 2-0 lead in the 30^th minute.
• Emblematic of the defensive effort in front of Andres Vasquez, Pau Mateo in one move nodded an Oakland try toward the keeper while also bodying a Golden Grizzly away from the play.

Match Summary
The Flames started on the front foot, and continued to apply pressure in the final third throughout the first half.  Mere minutes elapsed before Zulu, who made his first start of the season, figured in two tempting chances.  He was on the receiving end of a Younes Dayekh pass but pushed his shot wide, and later dished to Garcia inside the area, for a shot that was blocked.

Continued intensity on the attacking end yielded UIC's first goal, and in the two minutes following, created two corner kicks.  The first produced two excellent shots that required high-quality saves by Oakland's keeper.

"The first goal was also the byproduct of the last two weeks of training," Phillips stated.  "We were able to connect some passes, got the ball wide, and made committed runs in the box.  It was great to see Zulu knock the rust off.  He's put in a lot of hard work to get himself ready.  I couldn't be happier for him and for Josh, who also came back from an injury of his own."

It was Vasquez' turn to make a big save in the 30^th minute.  His reaction gave Oakland a corner kick, which the Flames defended and, courtesy of Gutierrez, immediately turned into a goal on the counter-attack.  Vasquez saved six shots in all, including a couple late in the first half that allowed the Flames to plan a second-half strategy still leading by two.

"On the second goal, we have been defending restarts relatively well.  This was the next step, creating a chance," Phillips said.  "We got it forward thanks to the movement of two guys that we kept up.  Josh has special, innate abilities on the ball and he took his shot very well."

The game remained open throughout the final 45 minutes, with the Flames making alternating plays in the offensive and defensive ends.  Torres had another try that, although it came from distance, threatened the net.  Garcia, who had a game- and season-high four shots, connected with Zulu in the box, and Zulu played Josiah Ash into a dangerous spot near the goal, but a third goal was not in the cards.

The Flames turned in a defensive effort to be proud of.  Vasquez picked his spots to insert himself, including a gutsy, leaping stab of a dangerous cross.  The back line rarely let a free runner through, and several times in the waning minutes collapsed on the ball in the box for a clearance.  They held Oakland to 11 shots, their lowest output in Horizon League play.

"At the heart of today's result was an honest, workmanlike effort," Phillips concluded.  "We definitely want to improve, and we have to continue to build on what we've done."

UIC will return home to host Northern Kentucky Wednesday evening.