No. 15 IU opened up Collegiate Water Polo Association play Saturday by taking on No. 7 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both teams had quality wins on their résumés, and the two were looking to get another ranked win.
It was senior day for the Wolverines, and the Hoosiers squandered an opportunity to spoil the festivities and notch its 10th win against a ranked opponent in an 11-6 loss.
Michigan opened up the scoring in the first quarter when Julia Sellers got on the board from a long shot that was able to beat IU junior goalkeeper Jessica Gaudreault. The Hoosiers responded with a goal of their own from junior center Jennifer Beadle.
With the score tied at one Michigan turned on the jets and went on a 6-0 scoring run that extended its lead to 7-1 in the second quarter. The Hoosiers were outscored 6-3 in the second and third quarters, and even though IU came back in the end, it wasn’t enough to catch up to Michigan.
IU coach Ryan Castle said the team’s primary struggles came from the offensive end, where they turned the ball over and were unable to score goals when they needed them the most.
“They pressed us out further, and we struggled to maintain position,” he said. “We struggled against their press, and they man-handled us.”
The Wolverines’ counter attack and suffocating defense were major factors in IU’s fourth consecutive loss, and it didn’t help that three of freshman attacker Mollie Williams’ shots hit the bar.
Juniors Kelly Matthews and Sarah Young led the Hoosiers in scoring with two goals each. Beadle and freshman attacker Joelle Nacouzi were also both able to add a goal in the losing effort.
IU struggled in the center of the pool early on but was able to come back and thrive there in the second half. Caslte said he was impressed with the girls, like junior defender Karrie Kozokar in place of injured junior Sarah Young, who came in and stepped up when they needed to the most.
“Karrie is doing a good job stepping up in center in the meantime, and she’s getting quality minutes,” Castle said.
Castle said he was surprised at how many of Michigan’s long shots went in, especially because his team couldn’t really do anything about them.
IU’s defense struggled early on, especially on the counter attack, which left Gaudreault forced to defend on her own multiple times. When the Hoosiers' defense was able to get back and settle in half-court sets, it made life easier for the Canadian keeper.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s an Olympian or a goalie that has never played before,” Castle said. “If we don’t do a good job of protecting her then she won’t be able to make any saves. We were able to help her out as the game went along, and that’s when she stepped up.”
One thing Castle said he was proud of was the team’s resiliency, even though the Hoosiers trailed early in the game.
“We wanted to get as many goals as we could at the end," Castle said. "We stuck to the game plan when we could, and it comes down to keeping that mindset going the whole game.”
IU will look to snap its four-game losing streak this weekend when it will take on yet another top-10 opponent in No. 10 Princeton, with unranked Bucknell and George Washington to follow.
