2008 Woodie Awards
Flames soccer downs Wildcats in windy defensive struggle
Brian Egerton
Issue date: 10/16/06 Section: Sports
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The weather was bone cold last Wednesday night, but that didn't stop the current heat of the UIC soccer team. In an important regional match-up, the Flames defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 1-0, in front of nearly 500 fans.
Junior midfielder Pavle Dundjer scored the lone goal late in the match, a bullet from the top of the box that skipped off the hard, wet ground, out of the reach of the Wildcats' keeper.
"The ball deflected out towards me, and I decided to not move forward into the danger zone, but [instead] to shoot," said Dundjer.
The defensive imposed by both teams led to a very intense physical game. Each team recorded 16 fouls. In spite of several golden opportunities in the first half, the Northwestern defense managed to squelch any possible goals.
UIC freshman goalkeeper, Jovan Bubonja, recorded his seventh shutout of the season with six incredible saves. With the clean-slate, Bubonja broke the UIC single season record for shutouts.
The large fan base, despite the poor conditions, showed tremendous support for the nationally ranked Flames, who continue to rise to the level of competition.
"Northwestern is a very good team," said Flames head coach John Trask. "It was cold and we were without some of our starters, but we will never make excuses, we needed guys to step up and they did."
With the entire team contributing, the potent chemistry has made UIC nearly unstoppable. The willingness to play aggressively as a team and win loose balls has continued to contribute to their success.
"Overall we saw that our guys are willing to sacrifice their own play for the [success] of the team," added Trask.
- Page 1 of 1
Junior midfielder Pavle Dundjer scored the lone goal late in the match, a bullet from the top of the box that skipped off the hard, wet ground, out of the reach of the Wildcats' keeper.
"The ball deflected out towards me, and I decided to not move forward into the danger zone, but [instead] to shoot," said Dundjer.
The defensive imposed by both teams led to a very intense physical game. Each team recorded 16 fouls. In spite of several golden opportunities in the first half, the Northwestern defense managed to squelch any possible goals.
UIC freshman goalkeeper, Jovan Bubonja, recorded his seventh shutout of the season with six incredible saves. With the clean-slate, Bubonja broke the UIC single season record for shutouts.
The large fan base, despite the poor conditions, showed tremendous support for the nationally ranked Flames, who continue to rise to the level of competition.
"Northwestern is a very good team," said Flames head coach John Trask. "It was cold and we were without some of our starters, but we will never make excuses, we needed guys to step up and they did."
With the entire team contributing, the potent chemistry has made UIC nearly unstoppable. The willingness to play aggressively as a team and win loose balls has continued to contribute to their success.
"Overall we saw that our guys are willing to sacrifice their own play for the [success] of the team," added Trask.
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