CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team bounced back in Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-1 road victory over UIC on Saturday night, scoring three unanswered goals to earn its third conference win of the season.
The Aces nearly struck early in the fourth minute when Patrik Fagan appeared to find the back of the net, but a VAR review overturned the goal. Fagan created another opportunity in the 11th minute, sending his shot wide left while Hugo Amo made two saves in the opening 15 minutes to keep the match scoreless.
UIC broke through in the 26th minute to take a 1-0 lead, but Evansville quickly looked for an answer. In the 27th minute, Will Bencic sent a cross toward Fagan, whose shot narrowly missed wide right. The Aces found their equalizer in the 38th minute when Devin Shepherd delivered a corner kick that Etienne Ravelli headed into the net. The goal marked Ravelli's second of the season, while Shepherd recorded his eighth point to lead the team. The match remained tied 1-1 at halftime.
Evansville wasted little time taking control in the second half. In the 50th minute, Carlos Iglesias sent a cross into the box that deflected off the UIC goalkeeper before Ben Zec finished from close range with his knee to give the Aces a 2-1 advantage. The goal marked the first of Zec's career, while Iglesias recorded an assist for the second consecutive match.
Amo continued to anchor the Evansville defense, making another save in the 57th minute as the Aces maintained their advantage. Evansville added an insurance goal in the 68th minute following another corner kick. After a series of headers and attempts in the box, Izán Redondo found the back of the net to extend the lead to 3-1. The goal was the first of Redondo's career.
The Aces maintained their two-goal advantage over the final 20 minutes, recording three shots while allowing five from the Flames. Amo added another save to finish with six saves on the night as Evansville secured its third MVC win of the season.
With the win, Evansville improves to 4-8-2 overall and 3-1-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Aces return to Arad McCutchan Stadium Tuesday to host Lipscomb.
