Both offense and defense bring production to water polo team

After a loss to end last weekend with a 3-1 record, the Hoosiers look to end this week with another three wins.

The No. 13 IU women’s water polo team will travel to Thorton, Colo., for the Colorado State Invitational. After an exhibition with the Calgary Renegades at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Indiana will face one-win Colorado State at 2:30 p.m. The Hoosiers will finish the weekend with a contest against 5-6 California State East Bay at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Sophomore Shae Fournier and senior goalie Cassie Wyckoff have helped carry IU thus far this season and reached massive milestones last week. Wyckoff surpassed Jessica Goldner’s mark of 891 saves to become the leading goalie in saves in Hoosier history. Her 923 stops will only rise from now through season’s end.

Fournier became the 17th Hoosier to net 100 career goals. She set the mark in just her 53rd game. She currently averages 2.87 goals a game.

IU Coach Barry King said he had expected the duo to lead the team and knows their play is imperative to the Hoosiers’ success.

“It was required of them,” King said. “We need them to be that solid defensively so that our more inexperienced players could try to find their way around the collegiate game until they got comfortable with the speed of the game.”

Wyckoff has 12 double-digit save efforts this year and 171 saves, heading a shutdown IU defense, allowing only 6.8 goals a game.

“She’s been in those big games and played at that speed,” King said. “Her national experience is very important on that level. We just needed her to translate that to the rest of the team.”

Still waiting to play at home, IU will travel to its fourth away-game state, a toll on any well-rested team. Used to such movement, Wyckoff doesn’t see all the travel as an issue for herself and teammates.

“It’s really far out of the way to go to California, but we’re all used to it,” Wyckoff said. “We know we’re not going to get many games, but it’s become part of it. We don’t really think about it anymore.”

Freshman Summer Creighton and sophomore Meghan Lappan contributed last weekend. Both players recorded hat tricks and a total of four steals, two assists and two field blocks.

“We need to improve our distribution on shot opportunities,” King said. “Thus far we’ve kind of defaulted a lot to Shae and Colleen. We need other people to step up and see their opportunities and take advantage of those.”