Water Polo Splits Final Day of CWPA Schedule

Saturday, April 15

Providence, RI

9 AM

Indiana University

Harvard

4/15/2017 10:40:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Box: IU vs. Harvard Box: IU vs. Hartwick

Williams, Matthews strike twice in win over Harvard

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The 2017 CWPA round robin came to a close on Saturday afternoon for the No. 14 Indiana water polo team. The Hoosiers (18-9, 5-3) split results against top-20 conference foes, taking a 7-3 win over No. 20 Harvard before falling to No. 18 Hartwick, 8-6. With only one exhibition game remaining on the regular season schedule, the Hoosiers finish head coach Ryan Castle's first regular season with 18 wins.

Game 26: Indiana 7, Harvard 3
IU:                   1 – 4 – 1 – 1 – 7
BROWN:        0 – 0 – 2 – 1 – 3
IU Goal Leaders: Williams (2), Matthews (2), Beadle (1), Myers (1), Young (1)
IU Assist Leaders: Nacouzi (3), Myers (2), Williams (1), Abarta (1)
GK: Gaudreault (10 saves)

The Hoosiers' hot hands, Mollie Williams and Kelly Matthews, continued their flying form in the win against Harvard with 2 goals each. Williams guided Indiana's 5-0 start in the first half, while Matthews placed both of her goals in the second half to carry the Hoosiers to the final buzzer. Joelle Nacouzi recorded a hat trick of helpers, and Jessica Gaudreault tallied 10 saves for the 12^th time this year.

In addition to connecting on 2 assists, Sarah Myers netted Indiana's first goal to settle a back-and-forth stalemate in the first period. Williams' 2 goals came in the second period, split by Sarah Young's goal with three minutes left in the half. Jennifer Beadle stamped a 5-0 first half shutout with a power play conversion in short time.

Harvard scored twice at the start of the third to push into contention. Matthews found her first to extend IU's lead to 6-2 on a five-meter penalty; she scored once again in the fourth period, notching her 12^th multi-goal game of the season.

Game 27: Hartwick 8, Indiana 6
IU:       2 – 3 – 1 – 0 – 6
WICK: 1 – 3 – 4 – 0 – 8
IU Goal Leaders: Beadle (2), Young (2), Nacouzi (1), Abarta (1)
IU Assist Leaders: Young (2), Matthews (1), Nacouzi (1), Abarta (1)
GK: Gaudreault (8 saves)

The Hoosiers returned to the pool Saturday afternoon for a contentious closer against the No. 18 Hartwick Hawks. Hartwick utilized a 5-1 run, starting at the end of the second quarter, to hand the Hoosiers their third CWPA loss of the season.

Young took the reigns on the offensive end, leading Indiana with 2 goals and 2 assists. Jennifer Beadle also added a pair of scores to finish with 7 goals on the weekend. Megan Abarta, for the second time this weekend, added both a goal and an assist to the effort.

The Hoosiers built a 4-2 lead before the Hawks netted a power play goal with two minutes left in the first half; they quickly countered Indiana's response to leave the deficit at 5-4 entering intermission.

Indiana and Hartwick traded the opening goals of the third period, but the Hawks made their move in the third period. Hartwick's three unanswered scores in the final five minutes put them up by two scores, and they forced a 0-0 draw in the fourth to take the win.

Up Next: Senior Night
Fri, April 21 • Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center • Bloomington, Ind.
7:00 p.m. ET – No. 14 Indiana (18-9) vs. McKendree (7-14)

The varsity regular season is in the books, but coach Castle and the Hoosiers want to send their senior, Bronwyn Smith, out in style. As such, Indiana will play a standalone home exhibition on Friday evening against McKendree. A ceremony recognizing Smith and her contributions to IU Athletics will precede the action at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.

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