Matthews, Hoosiers Sweep First Day of Final Weekend

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Indiana water polo team set a goal for their final weekend: boosting their CWPA record in hopes of reaching a top-two finish in the conference standings. The Hoosiers (19-6, 4-1) are halfway there after Saturday’s slate of games, emerging with a 10-5 win over Brown (9-20, 1-4) and a 13-5 win against George Washington (7-13, 0-4).

Kelly Matthews stuffed the stat sheet with eight goals, one assist, four steals, and three field blocks in a well rounded, dominating effort. Her sophomore counterpart, Sarah Myers, followed with three goals, six assists, three drawn ejections, and three steals.

Following Myers in the assist category was freshman Kate Pipkin, who took the team lead in assists after her three dishes against Brown. Eight other players connected for assists across the two games, including Jennifer Beadle with three andJordan Elwood with two.

The goalkeeping tandem of Mary Campbell and MacKenzie Bonk put together a pair of solid performances in the cage. Against Brown, Campbell faced 28 shots and made 16 saves, her second highest save total of the year. In the game versus George Washington, Bonk made nine saves on 26 shots faced while adding a steal and an assist to her total.

Indiana was an efficient six-for-14 on power play opportunities between the two games, with a 55% efficiency in the game against Brown. On the defensive end, the Hoosiers stifled their opponents’ personnel advantages, holding the teams to 33%.

Myers continued her dominance on opening sprints, winning all seven of her sprint attempts. The sophomore has won 82% of her sprints this season.


Game 24: Indiana 10, Brown 5
The Hoosiers’ first game of the day was a hard-earned win from the opening minute. Brown opened scoring on their second possession, but their lead was quickly erased by a goal from Pipkin. Brown jumped ahead 2-1, and Matthews leveled the score on a power play at the end of the first quarter.

Indiana blew the second quarter open with three unanswered scores, two from Myers and one by Kaybree Albright. The run continued into the start of the third quarter with Matthews’ second power play score, extending the Hoosiers’ lead to 6-2. Midway through the third, Brown punched in two scores to halve Indiana’s lead with a quarter to play.

The final quarter opened with three unanswered scores, all by Matthews, to give the Hoosiers a five-goal lead. Beadle sealed the win with a final score in the closing seconds.

The game was Matthews’ fourth this season where she scored five or more goals, and she now leads the team with 66 scores this season. Pipkin’s three connections marked her 13th game with multiple assists.


Game 25: Indiana 13, George Washington 5
The Hoosiers’ second game of the day began in similar fashion to the first. Matthews and Beadle pushed Indiana to an early 2-0 lead that was quickly erased by two scored from the Colonels. The Hoosiers responded with a four-goal run that continued into the second quarter, with goals by Myers, Matthews, Albright, and Candyce Schroeder.

Indiana extended their lead to 8-3 by halftime after two more scores from Schroeder and Matthews, and both secured hat tricks with a minute played in the third quarter. The pair has combined for 21 hat tricks this season.

Pipkin poured in two goals in the final 90 seconds of the third quarter to extend IU’s lead to 11-4. Karrie Kozokar added to the lead with a goal on Indiana’s first possession of the fourth quarter. Beadle, once again, had the last word with the Hoosiers’ 13th goal midway through the fourth quarter.

Eight Hoosiers connected on assists against George Washington, led by Myers with four. Indiana has averaged 10.2 assists per game this year.

Schroeder and Kozokar dominated on the defensive end with four assists apiece, leading eight Hoosiers in that category. The total is a single-game career high for Schroeder, and Kozokar matched a career high set earlier this season.


Up Next: Indiana’s Final Two CWPA Games
Sunday, April 17, 2016 • Princeton, N.J.
11:40 a.m. ET – #13 Indiana (19-6, 4-1) vs. Bucknell (15-13, 3-2)
3:40 p.m. ET – #13 Indiana (19-6, 4-1) vs. #21 Hartwick (15-10, 3-2)

If the Hoosiers can win both of Sunday’s CWPA games, they will clinch a top-two finish in the final CWPA standings. It would seal a favorable path for a return to the CWPA Championship game, but tomorrow’s slate is anything but easy.

First, Indiana will take the pool Sunday morning for a game against Bucknell. The Bison opened their weekend with a loss to Michigan and a one-goal win over #18 Harvard. In their last meeting, Indiana won 18-10 on Senior Night led by a hat trick and three assist from Schroeder.

After that, Indiana will close their regular season against #21 Hartwick. The Hawks lost both of their games today to Harvard and Michigan, each by a one goal margin. Prior to that, Hartwick opened conference play with three wins over Brown, Bucknell, and George Washington. The Hoosiers won both of last season’s meetings, taking the conference game 15-9.

Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.

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About Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh is a former NCAA swimmer at the University of Arizona (2013-2015) and the University of Florida (2011-2013). While her college swimming career left a bit to be desired, her Snapchat chin selfies and hot takes on Twitter do not disappoint. She's also a high school graduate of The …

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