No. 12 Indiana women’s water polo checked a box in the loss column for the first time this season after losing to No. 16 Michigan and No. 20 Wagner College over the weekend, ending a 10-game winning streak.
The Midwest Invite, hosted at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, kicked off on Saturday with the Hoosiers facing Marist University.
After senior center Sophia Sollie gave the Hoosiers a quickfire two goal lead after just one minute, Marist scored four of the next five goals to take a 4-3 lead. Indiana responded strongly however, scoring five goals in the second quarter, including three first-half goals from both senior attacker Skylar Kidd and junior attacker Grace Klingler.
With a 9-6 lead intact at halftime, the Hoosiers started the second half with a goal from Sollie after 18 seconds. Marist kept the match close, however, with the Hoosiers only able to keep the Red Foxes at arm's length. Two late fourth-quarter goals sealed the match for Indiana, and the Hoosiers cemented a 14-12 victory to start the tournament.
The Hoosiers faced No. 16 Michigan in their second match Saturday. Junior attacker Louisa Downes quickly netted a goal inside 14 seconds to start the game. While Michigan equalized 22 seconds later, Indiana scored four straight goals to claim an early 5-1 advantage. Michigan responded by scoring five of the next six points. However, a dominant second quarter from the Wolverines left Michigan leading 10-8 at the half.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, as both sides matched each other goal for goal. The match was tied 14-14 with 2:17 left. Despite a spirited fight from the Hoosiers, including six goals from Downes, the Wolverines scored with 1:30 on the clock to give the Hoosiers their first defeat of the season. Indiana lost 15-14.
The Midwest Invite then wrapped up play on Sunday when the Hoosiers played No. 20 Wagner for the second time in seven days. Wagner started strong, scoring after only 22 seconds, and jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Despite two back-to-back goals from Indiana junior utility player Nicole Tyner, Wagner remained in control as the halftime score read 7-4 to the Seahawks.
The second half was more of the same story, as the Seahawks never let their lead slip to less than two goals. Wagner stamped their mark on the game en route to a 14-9 win for the Seahawks, with the Hoosiers succumbing to their second defeat after 10 straight victories.
Indiana’s next matches will take place at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational from Feb. 21-23 in Irvine, California.
