No. 17 IU goes 3-1 at Princeton Invitational

The No. 17 IU water polo team rebounded this weekend at the Princeton Invitational, finishing the weekend with a 3-1 record while defeating Bucknell, Brown and Harvard universities.\nThe only loss for the Hoosiers came at the hands of No. 18 Princeton University. While down 8-7 during their second game Saturday with 12 seconds left in regulation, sophomore Linda Calvert received a pass from senior Janis Pardy in the post. Calvert then put the ball in the back of the net to tie the game at eight points each.\nNeither team was able to score in the first sudden-death overtime period, though both teams had multiple scoring opportunities. However, on the opening possession of the second sudden-death overtime period, Princeton scored a sudden game-winning goal. Elyse Colgan of Princeton received the ball in the post and scored on a shot that deflected off sophomore goalie Jackie Pyrz to give the victory to the Tigers. The loss marked the seventh match the Hoosiers have dropped to a ranked opponent this year. \nWith a win over Harvard the following day, the Hoosiers moved their record to 5-7 on the year.\nEven with the loss to Princeton, the Hoosiers picked up three wins to close out a rough start to the year.\nIn the first contest of the weekend against Bucknell, the Hoosiers held a tight 6-5 lead going into the third period. However, a 5-1 run at the start of the third period gave the Hoosiers the necessary lift to give them their first victory of the weekend.\nJuniors Kristin Zernicke and Brooke Zimmerman added hat tricks for the Hoosiers, who finished the game with a 12-9 victory. The hat trick was Zernicke's first, while Zimmerman notched her second of the season. The 12 goals were the most in any single game for the Hoosiers on the season.\nPrior to the Princeton match, IU used another one of its runs in the third period to defeat Brown University 7-5. Tied 1-1 at the start of the third period, the Hoosiers went on a 4-1 run to surge past the Bears.\nSenior Janis Pardy lead the Hoosiers with a hat trick, her second of the season, and a career-high four steals.\nIn the final match of the weekend, the Hoosiers had little trouble gaining their third victory of the weekend as they defeated Harvard 13-5, eclipsing their team-high point total which was set over Bucknell two days prior.\nAfter being held scoreless for the opening 3:30 of the game, the Hoosiers scored four goals over a period of two-and-a-half minutes. IU never looked back and went on to win its fifth game of the season.\nWith this weekend off, the Hoosiers will prepare for their first Collegiate Water Polo Association Western Division play in two weeks with six contests over a three-day period.