Horizon League champion UIC travels to Saint Louis to open NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament

Nov. 19, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS -- In 2006, the University of Illinois at Chicago men's soccer team began its run to the NCAA Championship with a 1-0 victory on the road at perennial national power Saint Louis University. The 2007 version of the Flames returns to the scene of that contest Friday (Nov. 23) as the Horizon League champions take on SLU's Billikens in the opening round of the 2007 national tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (Central time / 8 p.m. Eastern) at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

The match is one of 16 first-round contests this weekend after the NCAA announced the 48-team field on Monday (Nov. 19). Sixteen seeded teams earn byes into the second round next Wednesday (Nov. 28), feeding into the College Cup Dec. 14 and 16 at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

UIC (11-5-5 overall) has won five consecutive matches, racing to the Horizon League title on the strength of Sunday's (Nov. 18) 3-1 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. UIC entered the loop tournament as the third seed (4-1-3 in League play) but has allowed only one goal in its last five outings. The Flames opened Horizon League Championship play with shutouts against Wright State University (4-0) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-0 in overtime) before defeating Green Bay for its first League crown since 2000.

The Flames are in the Field of 48 for the fourth time in program history. UIC reached the second round in 2006, defeating Western Illinois University 3-0 before falling 1-0 at the University of Notre Dame to cap a 13-3-5 campaign. The Flames lost 3-2 to Saint Louis in their first NCAA tournament (1999) and advanced to the Sweet 16 the following year. That was the only meeting between the schools prior to last season's encounter.

UIC will attempt to continue the Horizon League's recent run of success in the NCAA Championship, with League entries advancing to the second round in each of the last five national tournaments. Milwaukee won first-round contests against Oakland University (2001), Western Michigan University (2003), the University of San Francisco (2004) and Bradley University (2005) before the Flames ousted WIU last fall.

Flames coach John Trask leads a veteran crew that features League Championship Most Valuable Player Cesar Zambrano. The senior forward shares the League lead with seven assists and ranks third in the circuit with 19 points (including six goals), making him one of four UIC representatvies on the First-Team All-League honor roll. Senior midfielder Pavle Dundjer became the circuit's first-ever four-time First-Team honoree and carries five goals and three assists into Friday's match.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja ranks tenth in the nation with a 0.57 goals-against average and owns nine shutouts this year. He set a school record in 2006 with ten clean sheets as the Flames led the nation with a 0.36 goals-against mark last fall. Sophomore midfielder Baggio Husidic (three goals and one assist) was UIC's fourth First-Team All-League honoree.

Saint Louis (12-2-4) had won six consecutive matches before dropping a penalty-kick shootout to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in the semifinals of the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament. The Billikens, ranked 12th in the nation according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and 11th by Soccer America, won the A-10 regular-season title for the third year in a row (including a shared championship in 2005).

Saint Louis boasts one of the nation's most storied programs, entering the national tournament for a record 44th time. No school owns more national titles (ten) than SLU, and only Indiana University (72) has more tournament victories than the Billikens (65-32-4 in tourney play).Junior forward Kyle Peterson leads the Billiken attack with ten goals and four assists for 24 points, with sophomore midfielder Scott Wisniewski adding seven goals and four helpers for 18 points. Sophomore Ross Kaufman sports a 0.66 goals-against average with six shutouts.

The winner of Friday's match meets ninth seed Northwestern University (12-4-3) in the second round. That contest is set for Wednesday, Nov. 28, at NU's Lakeside Field.

Defending national champion University of California Santa Barbara is the 12th seed in this year's tournament, with Boston College (15-4-1) receiving the top seed, followed by Wake Forest University (17-2-2), the University of Connecticut (18-2-1) and Indiana (13-4-4).

Note: The pairings can be found in the PDF version of this release.