Hoosiers Cruise Past CLU<br> - Indiana University Athletics

Hoosiers Cruise Past CLU

3/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - One day after capturing the regular season CWPA Western Division title, the No. 9 Indiana women's water polo team cruised to a 14-2 victory over Division III No. 6-ranked Cal Lutheran at the Wolverine Invitational. Every Hoosier registered at least one point in the match and 10 IU players notched a goal as the Cream and Crimson improved to 16-7 on the year.

"I was pleased that we came back focused after a physical and emotional match last night against Michigan," Indiana head coach Barry King said. "We had good balance on offense, and our freshmen goalkeepers played well on the defensive end."

A number of Hoosiers earned the first start of their careers including sophomores Kara Woolley, Claire Nicholson and Jaclyn Tameris along with freshman Linda Calvert. Junior Bridget McKeon also picked up her first start of the season.

The Regals of Cal Lutheran hung tough through the first period of play. IU got on the board first as McKeon scored into the right side of the net from the perimeter at the 5:11 mark of the first period. Calvert assisted on the goal, one of her three for the game. CLU struck back with a 6-on-5 goal with just under two minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Senior Krista Peterson pushed the Hoosiers ahead for good with a pair of goals in the opening 1:15 of the second period. The first came with IU on the 6-on-5 advantage. The Portland, Ore., native pumped twice, while walking the ball in before drilling a shot from the right side. Sophomore Kristin Zernicke found Peterson on the right side and the senior attacker/center went cross-cage with 5:46 remaining in the half.

Junior Janis Pardy added a goal to push the IU lead to 4-1 at the half. Pardy scored off the assist from junior Emily Schmitt with a shot from the right side of the perimeter. It was her 16th goal on the year and Schmitt's 14th assist of the season.

Senior Kandace Waldthaler notched a pair of markers in the third period to push the advantage to 6-1. The first with 3:33 remaining in the third was on the counter, while her second tally came 41 seconds later on a shot from the post. Sophomore Courtney Livak added Indiana's final goal of the third period, pushing the lead to 7-1. The San Jose, Calif., native followed up a shot from Tameris, pushing the ball past the goal line after the goalkeeper deflected the initial shot.

Indiana outscored the Regals, 7-1 in the final period with seven different Hoosiers finding the back of the net. Peterson notched her third, while McKeon scored her second of the match to open the period. Freshman Carolyn Conway, Tameris, Nicholson, Woolley and freshman Brittany Estrada added markers before the final horn.

Peterson finished with the 30th hat trick of her career. Her three-goal match brought her team-leading total to 38. Calvert matched a career-high with three assists to go along with three drawn ejections. Tameris finished with a multi-assist game as well, racking up a pair of helpers in the win.

Freshmen goalkeepers Jackie Pyrz and Jenny Gonzales split time in the cage against the Regals. Pyrz finished with four saves and a steal in the first half of play. Gonzales came up with a career-high six saves in the second half. Five different Hoosiers had two steals on the defensive end. Woolley, Nicholson, Zernicke, Waldthaler and Calvert each had two swipes against CLU.

The Hoosiers will return to action on Saturday, March 19, against Brown. The match is set for 6:20 p.m. in the Wolverine Invitational at Canham Natatorium. IU is 6-0 all-time against the Bears, including a 9-4 victory last season.