SAN DIEGO – The No. 16 Hoosiers (10-5) split their first two games at the 2016 Aztec Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex. Indiana opened the day with a morning competition against the Chapman Panthers, which they won handily, 13-5.
They rolled that momentum into a matchup against No. 11 UC San Diego in the afternoon, and nearly came away with an overtime win. The game against the Tritons was one of the best performances the Hoosiers have assembled all season, but they fell short 14-13 when they conceded the sudden victory goal with a minute remaining in the period.
Candyce Schroeder led the Hoosiers in scoring with seven goals between the two games, including a five-goal showing against the Tritons (T-career high). Three other Hoosiers—Jennifer Beadle, Kelly Matthews, and Karrie Kozokar—recorded hat tricks in IU’s game against Chapman.
No. 16 Indiana at the Aztec Invitational • March 12, 2016
Game 14 (1:15 p.m. ET): Indiana 13, Chapman 5
The Hoosiers extended their win streak to eight games with a wire-to-wire victory against the Panthers. Three Hoosiers netted hat tricks to lead a scoring effort that included an 8-0 shutout through the first 16 minutes.
Jennifer Beadle‘s performance stood out amongst multiple strong showings from the Hoosiers. In addition to her first hat trick of the season, Beadle tacked on two assists, a pair of steals, and two drawn ejections.
Kelly Matthews put in another solid performance with three goals, two assists, and one steal. The sophomore has scored three or more goals in seven of Indiana’s 15 games this season.
Karrie Kozokar earned a hat trick in the game, along with a pair of steals on the defensive end. Kozokar is having a breakout season in her first year in the pool, notching seven games with multiple scores and six with more than one steal.
Mary Campbell and MacKenzie Bonk combined for a solid dual effort in the cage with a combined 12 saves and two assists. The goalkeeping tandem allowed five goals, which ties their second-lowest mark of the season.
Candyce Schroeder and Sarah Young had standout performances as well. Schroeder scored two goals with an assist and one steal, while Young added a goal, one assist, and three steals.
The Hoosiers rocketed to an 8-0 lead over the entirety of the first half. The teams traded goals in the second half as the Hoosiers sealed their seventh-straight win.
The game was Indiana’s fifth this season with multiple hat-trick performances. They are unbeaten (5-0) in games with multiple hat tricks, and 3-0 with at least four players with two or more scores.
Game 15 (4:30 p.m. ET): UC San Diego 14, Indiana 13 (Sudden-Victory OT)
Indiana retook the pool later in the afternoon with a true test in front of them. The Hoosiers faced a rematch against No. 11 UC San Diego (16-6). In their last meeting at the Tritons’ home pool, Indiana suffered an 11-3 defeat.
The Hoosiers answered the call and put together one of their best games of the season. Trailing 10-7 nearing the end of the third quarter, Indiana rattled off four unanswered goals to square the score at 11-11. Then, needing a goal to tie the game on their final possession, Indiana freshman Kate Pipkin delivers a clutch equalizing score into the back of the Triton cage.
Candyce Schroeder, who dominated on offense with five goals (T-career high), erased Indiana’s late overtime deficit with 30 seconds left in the period. She had a hat trick after nine minutes and sparked Indiana’s comeback late in the third quarter.
UC San Diego went on to win in sudden-victory overtime, 14-13, with a goal on the plus side of a 6-vs-5 advantage.
Jennifer Beadle and Kelly Matthews scored multiple goals for the second time this weekend with two goals apiece. Kate Pipkin scored two as well, including the overtime-forcing goal with six seconds left on the clock. Karrie Kozokar and Sarah Young added one goal each.
Sarah Myers won four-of-seven sprints in the game. Combined with her total against Chapman, the sophomore took eight-of-11. She’s now won 29 sprints this season.
Up Next: No. 16 Indiana (10-5) at No. 20 San Diego State (7-9)
Sunday, March 13, 2016 • 12:00 p.m. ET
San Diego, Calif. • Aztec Aquaplex
Indiana will play their final out-of-conference road game tomorrow afternoon against the invitational hosts, No. 20 San Diego State. The teams last met at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego, and Indiana came back from a halftime deficit for an 8-6 win.
Following their game against the Aztecs, the Hoosiers will head home for their first set of home games of the 2016 season. They’ll host the Fluid Five at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center from Friday, March 18 to Sunday, March 20, and will face off against Sonoma State, CSU-East Bay, Mercyhurst, and Gannon.
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.
