The Golden Grizzlies began their campaign on home turf with a 3‑2 victory over the University of Illinois Chicago, a result that underscored the team’s resilience and offensive firepower.
Early in the contest, Christopher Jean Leger opened the scoring in the 12th minute, sliding a well‑timed finish past the UIC keeper after a pass from Cal Kurzawa and Andriy Bilous set the play up.
Kurzawa would add two goals of his own, the second coming after a clever setup from Stephen Gilbert, while Gilbert’s own contributions came via two assists that helped stretch the lead to 3‑1.
Between the scoring bursts, goaltender Cole Thompson made eight saves, highlighted by a crucial stop on a Darrell Turcios shot in the 38th minute that kept UIC at bay.
UIC’s Sota Nakazono halved the deficit in the second half, and Martin Montoya’s 73rd‑minute strike, assisted by Artem Grinblat, pulled the visitors within a single goal, setting up a tense finish.
Looking Ahead
The Grizzlies will travel to Phoenix next week to face Grand Canyon University on Thursday, September 3 at 9 p.m. ET, eager to build on the momentum generated by their opening‑day performance.