Water polo team sweeps Colorado State Tournament

The No. 13 IU water polo team (13-4, 1-1 CWPA West) used a balanced attack and a plethora of goals to rise up this week.

In an exhibition with the Calgary Renegades, along with matchups against Colorado State and Cal State East Bay, the Hoosiers controlled the tempo and went undefeated at the Colorado State Tournament in Thorton, Colo.

In the team’s first true contest of the weekend, IU squared off with tourney host Colorado State. Sophomore Shae Fournier shined as she tied her career high with five goals. The Hoosiers notched 10 first-half goals in total and would go on to win 16-9.

Senior goalkeeper Cassie Wyckoff did her duty during 28 minutes of play with 10 stops. Freshman Jojo White would make a pair of fourth-quarter saves after replacing Wyckoff.

Up 10-4 at halftime and holding significant leads throughout the game, IU was in the driver’s seat. Sophomores Meghan Lappan and Amanda Refern tacked a pair of goals each, along with freshman Summer Creighton.

“It was great to see us get out to a solid start and keep building as the game went on,” IU Coach Barry King said. “We executed well throughout, especially offensively.”
In the final match of the weekend, the Hoosiers were carried by fourth-quarter clutch play to escape with a win against Cal State East Bay.

After trailing 1-0 after the first quarter, IU netted four of the next five goals for a lead the team wouldn’t relinquish. Cal State pulled within one.

However, Indiana responded with a three-goal tear, two of which came from Fournier, giving the Hoosiers the upper hand. Closing the gap to three with 3:38 remaining, IU scored two straight goals, sealing the victory.

“We came out sluggish early on and didn’t have the aggressiveness that we needed to. We got it together in the fourth quarter and really took advantage of some power play opportunities,” King said.

The Hoosiers will get back in the water this weekend when they travel to Bakersfield, Calif., for the Roadrunner Invitational. In one of the season’s biggest tournaments, IU will take on six opponents.