Croatian Eric Lukin, Ante Razov and Sasha Begovic
Barry Marjanovich
Lukin's star still shining brightly
Sunday, September 17, 2000
Eric Lukin is nearing the end of a spectacular collegiate career at
Illinois-Chicago.
The former Sandburg High School star, who is now a senior at UIC, has
led the Flames to a
3-1-1 mark this season heading into Sunday's home opener (4 p.m.)
against California-Poly.
Last year, Lukin, a forward, was named to the NCAA Division I
All-American Second Team.
He was the second-leading goal scorer in the nation with 21 goals in 21
matches (he also had
14 assists) as UIC went 17-4 and reached the 32-team NCAA postseason
tournament for
the first time in school history.
UIC coach Sasha Begovic isn't shy about touting him as a first-team
All-American this year.
"People will say that a kid from Chicago can't be that good, but Eric is
that good and even
better than people know because he isn't surrounded by national team
players like the
All-American candidates from the top five schools like UCLA, Virginia
and Indiana,'' Begovic
said. "Eric creates so much of our offensive play from nothing that I
think scouts and other
coaches can't believe what they're seeing.
"There is a lot of pressure on Eric this year, but he is handling it
with a maturity well beyond his
years. He is just a great young man and an All-American in many ways.''
Begovic said he's amazed Lukin continues to excel even though the
opposition puts its focus
on him.
"People have to understand that Eric is definitely a marked man when he
walks onto the
soccer field,'' Begovic said. "For many of our opponents this will be
the fourth year that
they've faced Eric so they already know how he has dissected them in the
past and they still
can't stop him.''
The 21-year-old Lukin, a former Chicago Magic star, is setting his
sights on another
successful season for the Flames and then turning his attention to his
prospects in the Major
League Soccer draft.
"I am certain Eric should be a high draft choice in the MLS draft next
year,'' Begovic said.
"He's strong. He's deceptively quick. He has a lethal left foot like
(the Chicago Fire's Ante)
Razov. He's creative with the ball at his feet and he can dissect
another team's defense with
pinpoint passes while they're expecting him to shoot. His assist totals
are better than many
midfielders.
"Eric is the kind of college soccer player that the MLS can't afford to
let get away. He's an
American kid who has more potential than any of us can even imagine
right now. He just
needs a chance to show what he can do at the next level when he is
surrounded by
professional players who have the technical skills he's already mastered
on the college level."
Lukin spent part of this summer demonstrating his skills for several
professional clubs in
Europe. He received considerable interest from a number of lower-level
clubs, and Rijecka
HNK, which competes in the Croatian 12-team First Division, wanted him
to sign a
professional contract to play this fall.
But Lukin, who is a part-time coach and trainer with the Windy City
Pride SC, decided to
complete his undergraduate studies at UIC before pursuing his dream of
playing professional
soccer.