IU Coach Barry King reaches milestone, but team struggles

After 14 wins in 15 games, the Hoosiers were brought back down to earth — at least for this weekend.

The IU women’s water polo team sputtered during the weekend, falling in three straight contests before a win in its final match during the Aztec Invitational in San
Diego.

In the Hoosiers’ first match, the team faced No. 14 Hawaii. Tied at three early, the Warriors went on a tear, notching six goals to just one from Indiana. Late in the third quarter, both teams exchanged two goals.

The fourth was all IU, but the comeback came up just short. Sophomore Shae Fournier and freshman Shelby Taylor each tallied a goal midway through the quarter, putting Indiana down three with just more than five minutes to play.

Freshman Colleen McNaught gave the Hoosiers their final hope with a late goal. However, that’s all IU put in the net, sealing a win for the Warriors.

IU’s second matchup came against No. 19 University of California-San Diego.

In the fourth quarter, the Tritons nabbed the early lead with a pair of goals. Once again in a rally effort, Taylor netted a power play goal with 44 seconds to pull the game within one goal. Indiana forced a defensive stop, but turned the ball over to give UCSD the victory.

In the third contest, host No. 8 San Diego State dominated IU. After Taylor cut the Aztec lead to 3-1, the Aztecs rattled off four straight goals, putting SDSU up 7-1. Indiana netted the match’s final tally, but Indiana still fell 7-2.

The final match belonged to Indiana. Sophomore Meghan Lappan and Taylor each notched hat tricks for IU, as the pair scored six of the team’s 10 goals.

Indiana ended up winning 10-3, giving IU Coach Barry King his fifth straight 20-win season. This was the 13th 20-win season of King’s 15 total seasons at IU.

“We faced some stiff competition this weekend and struggled in our first few contests, but we rebounded solidly with the win over Wagner,” King said. “We need to take that same intensity that we brought against Wagner and carry it over to the rest of the season.”