BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana water polo team concluded their run at the Bruno Classic by splitting their final two games of the invitational. The Hoosiers opened the day with their only loss of the tournament, an overtime thriller against No. 21 Harvard. They finished the day on a high note with a well-earned win over No. 20 Marist.
Kelly Matthews led all Hoosiers in scoring with eight total goals split between the pair of games. Following closely behind her was fellow defender Karrie Kozokar with five scores and Candyce Schroeder with four.
No. 13 Indiana at the Bruno Classic • February 7, 2016
Game 1 (10:20 a.m. ET): Indiana 11, Harvard 12 (OT)
Indiana opened the day with a showdown against CWPA contender Harvard. The Hoosiers led after three quarters, but the Crimson rallied in the final quarter to force overtime. Harvard’s score with 2:40 remaining in the overtime’s second period sealed their 12-11 win.
Matthews led the Hoosiers in scoring with four goals in the game, followed by Schroeder and Kozokar with two apiece.Jennifer Beadle, Sarah Myers, and Sarah Young got in on the scoring action with one goal each.
Indiana jumped out to an 8-6 lead at halftime, largely due to a scoring run from Matthews, Beadle, and Myers in the second quarter. Indiana held their lead through the third, but the Crimson erased the deficit with three unanswered scores in the final 6:22 of regulation.
After Harvard took a 12-10 lead with 2:40 remaining in overtime, Matthews slotted her fourth goal of the game. The Hoosiers couldn’t find the equalizer to force sudden-death overtime, giving Harvard their first-ever win over Indiana.
Game 2 (1:50 p.m. ET): Indiana 13, Marist 10
The Hoosiers entered the pool later in the afternoon, determined to bounce back from their heartbreaking defeat and end the invitational on a high note. They’d have to do it against Marist, a team that edged them in the regular season last year.
This time around, Indiana would have to surmount their own comeback, rather than holding off a team for the win. The Hoosiers trailed the Red Foxes, 6-5, at halftime, but they rebounded with two four-goal quarters to pull back into the lead and the eventual 13-10 win.
Matthews once again championed the offensive effort with four scores, bringing her weekend total to 18 in four games. Kozokar earned her first hat trick, and Schroeder, Meyers, and Young had strong two-goal performances for the Hoosiers.
Hoosier Notes:
• Indiana won six-of-10 sprints over the two games. Sophomore Sarah Myers is now 16-of-23 on sprint wins this season.
• The Hoosiers scored on 57% of their power play chances over the two games. They went two-of-four against Harvard and two-of-three against Marist.
• Indiana has now scored 37 of their 63 goals in the second half.
• Kelly Matthews is Indiana’s scoring leader with 21 goals over six games (T-7th nationally) She is one of two Hoosiers to eclipse the 10-goal milestone in the early season (Karrie Kozokar – 10).
Up Next: No. 13 Indiana (3-3) at the Triton Invitational
Sunday, February 14 – Sunday February 15, 2016
Canyonview Aquatic Center • San Diego, Calif.
The Hoosiers have a quick turnaround this week, as they return to the west coast for the 2016 Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego. This is the only tournament-style invitational the Hoosiers will enter in the regular season, and will feature some of the best teams in NCAA Water Polo. The opponent schedule and game times remain to be determined.
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.
