CHICAGO - Redshirt sophomore Ned Pavlovic (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook South) scored his first-career goal in the 57th minute, and junior Joe Radice (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade Prep) added a tally just over two minutes later, lifting the UIC men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over visiting Marquette in the season opener for both teams at Flames Field Saturday night.

Pavlovic intercepted a ball from 25 yards out, and beat Marquette goalkeeper David Check on the strike, giving UIC the 1-0 lead. At the 59:57 mark, Radice then played a ball from freshman Jesus Torres (Chicago, Ill./Little Village) and finished left-footed to push the Flames' lead to 2-0. The Golden Eagles sliced the advantage in half with just over two minutes remaining (87:42), but the Flames fought off a rally Marquette down the stretch to preserve the win.

"It's great to get a win to start out the season," said head coach Sean Phillips. "As we talked to our young team about during the preseason, we want to find ways to win games. "We countered, which was one of the things we were working on, and really defended well.

"We got a good performance out of our frontrunners, particularly Ned Pavlovic, who has really put in a lot of work after being forced to sit out last season due to injury. He put a good strike on the ball on the first oal. Jesus Torres was also excellent for us; he's only going to get better as the season goes on. He and Joe Radice made a nice connection on the gamewinner, and really sprung our frontline attack."

The Flames enjoyed a flurry of offensive opportunities, recording 12 shots, including eight in the second half. Marquette dished out 13 shots, and held a 16-6 advantage on corner kicks. UIC starting goalkeeper Piotr Kikolski (Harwood Heights, Ill./Maine South) tallied eight saves in the contest, playing all 90 minutes.

Senior forward Eric Frazier (Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus) compiled a team-high three shots in the game, while Ivan Stanisavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) recorded two shots on goal. He converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, but the tally was reversed after a call of encroachment on the field. Redshirt sophomore Josh Beard (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) , Radice and senior Paul Tracy (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) each took one shot for the Flames.

UIC is now 2-0 versus BIG EAST Conference opponents under Phillips, in his second-year at the helm of the Flames. The Flames defeated Cincinnati, 1-0, last September (9/17/10) in Akron, Ohio.