SAN DIEGO – The Indiana water polo team opened the Triton Invitational with a 1-1 showing on the first day of competition. The No. 17 Hoosiers began with an 11-3 loss at the hands of No. 19 UC San Diego, and followed with a 7-4 win over the Santa Clara Broncos. Indiana moves to 4-4 on the season, while UC San Diego sits at 5-3 and Santa Clara at 2-2.
No. 17 Indiana at the Triton Invitational • February 13, 2016
Game 1 (12:20 p.m. ET): UC San Diego 11, Indiana 3
Indiana opened their tournament slate with a matchup against the hosts, No. 19 UC San Diego. The Hoosiers were within striking distance after the first half, trailing 3-1, but the Tritons pulled away with four unanswered scores in the third quarter.
Three Hoosiers landed on the scoring ledger during their first contest. Sarah Myers took advantage of a power play opportunity late in the second quarter to make it 3-1. Kelly Matthews and Sarah Young notched one goal apiece in the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers out-shot the Tritons, 28-24, but opposing goalkeeper Courtney Miller was credited with 21 saves.
Game 2 (4:20 p.m. ET): Indiana 7, Santa Clara 4
Indiana returned to the pool later in the afternoon for a showdown against the Santa Clara Broncos, and came away with a 7-4 victory. Candyce Schroeder led the Hoosier attack with her first hat trick of the season.
Three Hoosiers entered the score sheet in addition to Schroeder. Kelly Matthews drilled two goals, bringing her season total to 25 through just eight games. Karrie Kozokar and Mackenzie Rosenthal added one goal each. The score was Rosenthal’s first of the season.
Indiana utilized a high-scoring first quarter to take an early lead. Two goals from Kelly Matthews and one from Schroeder gave Indiana a 3-1 lead after the first eight minutes. The Hoosiers held Santa Clara to just one score per quarter.
The Hoosiers managed to covert two-of-five power plays in the game while holding Santa Clara to zero-of-three. It’s the first time this season that Indiana has shut out an opponent on power play chances.
The win is Indiana’s fourth in a row over the Broncos, a streak dating back to March 1, 2009.
Up Next: No. 17 Indiana (4-4) vs. No. 5 Arizona State (2-0) -or- No. 11 UC Santa Barbara (7-3)
Sunday, February 14, 2016 • 3:00 p.m. ET
Indiana will continue their run through the Triton Invitational on Sunday against the winner between Arizona State and UC Santa Barbara, set to take place at 8:20 p.m. ET on Saturday. The potential matchup against the Sun Devils would be their fifth of the year, and the third time in competitive action. On the other side, the Hoosiers would aim to break their 4-4 series tie against the Gauchos, who are off to a 7-3 start this year.
The winner of Sunday’s contest will advance to the ninth-place game, which is set to begin at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday evening.
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.