And the losses keep piling up

[CircleAlum]

Cleveland State 3, UIC 2. All in all, a spirited, but craptastic effort by UIC.

I'm not going to dwell on how low this program has sunk, because it is, as they say, what it is. CS is a team UIC would have murdered a couple of seasons ago.

On the plus side, the game was entertaining, as sloppily-played games usually are.

UIC dominated, but the slowness of their defensive back line was painfully apparent as CS scored on three counterattacks, all of which should have been stopped.

UIC's goalie is adequate in most aspects of the game, but when it comes to shot blocking, look at the scoreboard. Three shots on goal equals three goals pretty much says it all. I've seen three games now and he's let every last difficult shot through. Oh well, at least he's consistent.

A good crowd, too, which raises the rhetorical question: how long can UIC continue losing games at home before the fans stop showing up?

The team pretty much sucked last year, and, unfortunately, there is no reason to believe they will even equal last season's results. They gave it their best tonight and still came up short against a VERY mediocre Cleveland State in a game where all the stops were pulled out and both teams were pretty much allowed to run wild. Which proved, if you had any doubts, that individually, both athletically and skill-wise, their personnel is third-tier Horizon League and nothing more.

I can't fault the guys for effort, though. They didn't slack off, they really tried hard.

And like I said, at least the game was entertaining.

[Big D]

Thought UIC may have turned things around after the tournament in Akron...guess not.

The box score only showed a crowd of about 300....that's one of the smaller numbers I've seen in recent years. Guess it felt bigger in person? With the losses piling up, the crowds will continue to dwindle. Hell, at this point, I'm sure most are coming out only for the free food. No BBQ, no crowd?

What's sickening is that, of all HL teams, Butler is now getting all the attention in soccer. Basketball isn't enough for them, I guess. Ugh. I simply don't understand how UIC, quite possibly the most attractive school in the most attractive location in the HL, cannot compete athletically with these other schools.

Hoping coach can turn it around....it has to start with recruiting, which has not been very good the past couple years. No wonder Trask got out this past year...had he been around for this, he may have been at UIC for another 5 years before getting a better offer. I think he saw the future was bleak and got out while he could.

[CircleAlum]

There were definitely more than 300 at the game, but a significant number were late arrivals, which probably explains why they weren't counted.

I apologize if I'm sounding too negative. This was a thrilling game, a change from this season's previous efforts at Flames Field which were unbelievably boring affairs, and the crowd was really into the game, too.

It was a fun game to watch. I just wish they hadn't given up three goals.

[UICJohn]

I remember the good ole days of national rankings and All Americans. I'm hoping those days aren't over and we can get back there soon. But it is sad to see smaller crowds and less interest but that's what comes with seasons like this one and last. Unfortunately, it takes a while to get attention from the community and student body and get fans to the game. It takes a lot less time to lose all of that.

[Big D]

How bout those home losses to perennial HL contenders CSU and Detroit? Wow....

Now the coaches have to go back to the drawing board? The season is almost half over....

[debollo]

I think this program is on the right track. Last year the team was 6-6-7, and from that team, by my count, the team lost 9 starters, including an ALL American goalie(Jovan, Tierney,Speis, Stoll, Kopec, Sarachan, Trout, Giffin and Mitchell). There is a new group of players and a new coach. Be alittle patient! Add to it the fact that Beard and now Radice have been hurt. If you look a little deeper, you should see this team is close to getting there. Every single game, including the preseason games, have been 1 goal games with the exception of the Michigan game where they scored late. I think if we let the coaching staff settle in, allow the younger players to develop and add a decent recruiting class, the future is bright.

[Big D]

I see your point debollo, but at the same time, UIC fans shouldn't have to be THAT patient.

In my opinion, and maybe it's unrealistic to think this way, but UIC soccer should never be struggling this much. We have a great field, we're in a great location, and we have some history, with great, award-winning players, nationally-ranked teams, and significant postseason success.

We clearly did not capitalize on the success we had to ensure we remain atop the HL. We underachieved massively last year. And, while I understand that injuries are a part of the game and that they are probably affecting us some, we should have recruited well enough to minimze the damage done. Ever since Husidic left, this team has gone downhill big time.

Absent an HL tourney miracle, this season is practically over with home losses against probably the two worst HL teams (that aren't named UIC). Let's get it together and make sure we get it right for next year.

[debollo]

Big D; I hear you, but the blame lays at the feat of the previous coach. Last year was the problem, which not only lead to a bad seson but the defection of Stoll and Speis. I know Sean was with the program but it is much different being the head coach. Give him time. I do think last year recruits of Beard, Radice and Ivan are top players. Unfortunately Beard has been hurt all year, Radice has been out with a concussion and Ivan for whatever reason struggled early on. He is ready to break out. The biggest problem right now is depth. If we get healthy this year, and we are very close, we will finish strong. Pick up a few recruits and we will be right back where we were. Tracy, Younger, Mo, Radice, Beard , Ivan and eventually Slobo are players that can play anywhere. They are going to win tonight; mark it down. If healthy, they are going to go into Butler and beat them.

[Big D]

Ouch....losing to SIUE at home....why can't we win at home?

Is Beard going to redshirt? Do they have a medical redshirt in soccer? It almost seems pointless for him to come back at this point.

On the bright side, the scarf promo is awesome....the scarves look awesome.

[CircleAlum]

Sept 30, 2010 6:51:35 GMT -6 debollo said:

They are going to win tonight; mark it down.

I not only marked it down, I went to the game. And they lost. And despite the scoreboard, it wasn't even close.

The record speaks for itself: 0-5-0 at home. 2-7-0 overall. This team is so bad, they can't even tie.

[debollo]

Circle Alum: You are right on. I went to and you are correct, game was not close. More than wishful thinking on my part.

[Big D]

btw, who wrote the article for the SIUE game at uicflames.com? "NIU coach Sean Phillips"? And, they left a loss off of our overall and HL records.....c'mon guys....proofreading....

[CircleAlum]

Not that this makes me feel one bit better about our own soccer team's trials and tribulations, but John Trask's Badgers are not exactly lighting up the NCAA, either.

Wednesday's loss to Green Bay puts their record at: 1-10-2 total, 0-2-1 in the Big Ten.

That's the kind of season that coaches get fired over, especially if they are earning big bucks.

I only wish OldGuyFC was still around because it would be a real hoot to be grilling him about this state of affairs, But sadly, he's gone.

[UICJohn]

We lose to Green Bay and UMKC but beat Ohio State.

Make sense of that.

[debollo]

Two wins in a row. I hope things keep up. If you look at the season 14 of the 15 games have been 1 goal games, with the other being a 2 goal game. When you consider all of the players the team lost after last year, and some of the injuries this year; Beard, Younger ,Radice, I still think the future is bright for the Program. I hope they at least finish strong this year. Maybe I am an eternal optimist?