The IU women's water polo team started its weekend in California at the Stanford Invitational with a couple of tough losses.
No. 19 IU faced off Saturday against No. 4 University of California, Berkeley — a team the Hoosiers have only defeated once in program history.
The undefeated Golden Bears proved to be just as good as they look on paper, defeating the Hoosiers 16-7.
Freshman attacker Tina Doherty had another great performance, netting three goals for the Hoosiers.
Junior attacker Megan Abarta filled the stat sheet as well. She added two goals and two assists to her name in the match.
IU allowed 16 goals against UC-Berkley, but freshman goalkeeper Sarah Greeven still had a solid game in net. She totaled nine saves against the Golden Bears.
Despite the loss, the Hoosiers showed plenty of fight on the defensive side of the ball. Freshman utility Izzy Mandema helped by drawing three exclusions. IU had a total of 12 drawn exclusions — its best in a single match so far this season.
IU continued its Saturday afternoon with a tilt against No. 2 Stanford University, falling 24-4.
Junior captain Emily Powell was able to find the back of the net twice for the Hoosiers.
Abarta and junior attacker Gillian Gatecliff both added a goal a piece in the loss.
In the final competitive match of the weekend, the Hoosiers faced a familiar opponent in No. 13 University of California, Davis. This was the Aggies and the Hoosiers 11th meeting of all time.
Despite a solid offensive showing, IU fell 13-10.
Doherty added to her impressive weekend with another four goals for the Hoosiers.
Freshman left Lauren Etnyre played well on the offensive side of the ball, too. She notched three goals, keeping the Hoosiers within range of the Aggies.
Prior to the Sunday matchup against UC-Davis, the Hoosiers played an exhibition match against the Chinese national team, losing 18-4.
IU, 1-6, returns to California on Feb. 16 for a match against defending national champion No. 1 University of Southern California. The Hoosiers will also take on the University of California, Irvine on Feb. 17.
