No. 14 IU water polo is riding a five-game winning streak and hasn't suffered a loss since Jan. 21 when the Hoosiers fell 20-5 to No. 3 UCLA in the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite.
The Hoosiers will travel to Boston to compete at the Harvard Invitational where IU will put its streak on the line against No. 16 UC San Diego, Iona, Siena and No. 21 Wagner. IU has played Wagner before this season at the Bruno Classic where the Hoosiers defeated the Seahawks, 10-2.
IU Coach Ryan Castle said they took advantage of Wagner the first time the teams met because the Seahawks were caught off guard, and they were tired from previous games that day. This time around both teams will play each other for the first time that day, on Sunday.
“I expect Wagner to make adjustments to our game since we last played them,” Castle said. "They’re a good team that tested our strengths the last time we met.”
This is also the fourth invite in a row where IU will be playing at least one ranked team. The Hoosiers have beaten at least one ranked team in every invite as well, so they will be looking to extend that streak, too.
Castle stressed the importance of improving his team and said that even though they are on a winning streak, they aren’t invincible.
“We might be on a five-game winning streak, but we could easily go on a five-game losing streak,” he said. “It’s all about meeting our standards, and if we don’t meet them then we won’t be able to win.”
The counterattack has been one of IU’s strengths at this point in the season. The Hoosiers have exposed teams who have failed to get back on defense in time to catch them on the fast break. Freshman attacker Joelle Nacouzi and junior attacker Sarah Young both scored multiple fast-break goals against No. 25 Cal Baptist, and Castle said he wants to continue to work on their fast break offense.
“She’s fitting in more and more, and she’s getting very comfortable," Castle said. "She’s only been here since January and she’s already adjusted to our game and to her teammates. That’s the mark of a good player, having to find a way to make an impact.”
IU’s first opponent of the weekend, UC San Diego, has been on a slow decline since the start of the year, and it’s coming off a two-game losing streak to Pacific and UC Santa Barbara. The Hoosiers also fell to UC Santa Barbara at the beginning of the season by a score of 8-4. Both teams have played four similar teams so far this season, where IU has beaten one more team than the Tritons.
“They were once ranked in the top 10, and they have a very good squad,” he said. “They are good all around, and they have a lot of playmakers and outside shooters. They’re going to challenge us. They have a lot of experience.”
Castle said they will have to improve their defensive play and adjust to the Tritons’ strengths.
“We have to play really good two-meter defense,” Castle said. “Their center, Lauren Boyer, is really good and she can score from pretty much anywhere. They have different options to post up and it creates more opportunities for them.”
One of IU’s players that has to step up once again is junior attacker Sarah Young, who was recently on “SportsCenter's" top-10 plays for her behind-the-back goals against Cal Baptist. Castle said he was surprised that the shot went in, and was initially angry at Young for taking such a crazy shot.
"My first reaction was, ‘No!’” Castle, laughing, said. “But when I watched the video the next morning I realized the goal was at the end of the quarter. I thought it was in the middle of the quarter, so that’s why I was mad at first, but it was a phenomenal shot.”
When asked what adjustments the team needs to make before they get back into the pool again to compete, Castle said it was their defense.
“Our defense has been our weakest point in my opinion, and we hold ourselves to a high standard,” he said. “Most of the goals we gave up were because of our own mistakes. We’re working really hard to work on the one-on-one battle, and then adding our offensive components step by step.”
IU will go into the Harvard Invitational on Friday and will play Saturday and Sunday as well. Castle said the girls need to rely on each other and work hard to stay together.
“We’re going to need everybody,” Castle said. “While we have certain players that can make individual plays, for us it’s all about teamwork and coming together on offense and defense.”
