Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Brown (Princeton Invitational)
Hoosiers Defeat Brown, Fall in Heartbreaker to No. 18 Princeton
2/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 18, 2006
PRINCETON, N.J. - The No. 17 Indiana women's water polo team split the second day of the Princeton Invitational on Feb. 18. Indiana defeated Brown, 7-5, in the initial contest of the day, before it fell in a heartbreaker to host and No. 18 Princeton, 9-8, in sudden victory. The Hoosiers moved to 4-7 on the year with all seven defeats coming at the hands of ranked foes.
"Princeton is a tough place to play, and we fought hard in a difficult environment," Indiana head coach Barry King said. "I thought we played well in the first half, and I was impressed with the way we responded after falling behind early. We responded to some adversity, but we let me back in the game toward the end of the third period. We did some good things today and some things that we can build on. The loss to Princeton doesn't really mean too much, it is what we learn from it that is important."
Indiana led on a pair of occasions by two goals against Princeton, but found itself down a goal in the second of two three-minute overtime periods. After the Tigers scored early in the first OT period on a lob shot, the Hoosiers were down to their final possession with under 30 seconds remaining in the contest. Senior Janis Pardy dumped the ball into the post to sophomore Linda Calvert. Calvert muscled the ball on the cage and just past the Princeton goalkeeper to even it at eight with 12 seconds remaining.
Both teams had chances in the first sudden victory period, but neither could find the back of the net. On the opening possession of the second sudden-victory period and fourth OT period, Princeton's Elyse Colgan received the ball in the post. She backhanded a shot that glanced off sophomore goalkeeper Jackie Pyrz's hand and in for the game-winner.
Princeton jumped out to an early two-goal lead with a pair of lob-shot goals. After the second Tiger goal with 5:51 remaining in the first, Indiana responded with one of its own just 13 seconds later. Senior Bridget McKeon found junior Kristin Zernicke on the weak side, and Zernicke went cross cage for the tally.
On the next Hoosier possession, Pardy evened the match with her 15th goal of the season. Senior Clare Meadows lifted a pass to Pardy on the opposite side of the two-meter, and with a defender draped on her back, Pardy pushed the shot into the left side of the goal.
In the midst of a four-goal run, junior Brooke Zimmerman added two tallies over a 30 second span to extend IU's advantage to 4-2. With 2:16 left in the first, she stepped into open space at the top of the key and scored into the left side of the goal. On the next possession, the former Junior Canadian International skipped a shot into the left side of the net.
Princeton erased the deficit with three-straight goals over the final 1:05 of the first period and opening five minutes of the second. All three markers came via the lob, and the two second-period goals were with Princeton on the man advantage. The goals allowed the Tigers to regain the lead at 5-4 with 1:57 remaining in the first half.
Indiana responded with two power-play tallies over the final 1:06 of the second period. Zernicke drew the kickout in transition, and junior Kara Woolley took advantage as she pumped the goalkeeper one way and went the other to tie the match at five.
With less than 20 seconds, Princeton was whistled for an offensive ejection to give IU the six-on-five advantage. After a 20-second timeout allowed IU to set up the offense, Zimmerman scored on a bullet off the dish from Woolley. The goal pushed IU into the locker room with a 6-5 lead.
Pardy scored just over a minute into the third period to give IU its second two-goal cushion of the day at 7-5. Meadows lobbed the ball into the two-meter just enough in front of Pardy that she beat the Tiger goalkeeper to the ball and lobbed it by her for the score.
The Tigers would not go quietly as they scored twice before the end of the third to even the match at seven. The first came at the 4:55 via the counter, while the second was with Princeton on the six-on-five advantage at the 2:40 mark. The final tally went just under the arm of Hoosier goalkeeper Pyrz before crossing the line.
Neither team found the scoring column in the fourth period, but both teams had amble opportunities. After Pardy narrowly missed giving IU the lead when her shot hit off the post before being cleared off the goal line, Princeton counter with a three-on-one breakaway. A lob to the two-meter set up Pyrz with a Princeton player, one-on-one, but the Hoosier goalkeeper denied the opportunity as she swatted the ball away with 3:20 left in the period.
With just over two minutes remaining in the fourth, Indiana had a pair of golden chances, but came up empty. With IU on the man advantage, Zimmerman unleashed a shot that clanged off the left post. Junior Melissa Soria corralled the rebound, but her attempt was blocked wide by the Princeton goalkeeper to keep the match tied.
For the game, Pyrz finished with 10 saves in net for IU. Zimmerman led the Hoosiers in goals (3), assists (2) and steals (4) against Princeton. It marked the second time at the Princeton Invitational and third time this season that Zimmerman notched a hat trick. Zernicke had three kickouts drawn in the contest, while Pardy had two goals and three steals.
For the second time in as many days, the Hoosiers used the third period to their advantage and outscored Brown, 4-1, to propel them to victory in the first match of the day. With the score tied, 1-1, at the intermission, Zimmerman notched a goal that gave IU a 2-1 lead. Zimmerman drove to the post, where Pardy found her with a lob pass, and she finished it with a cross cage shot.
Brown drew even less than a minute later with a goal in the post, but the Hoosiers ended the period with three straight to open a 5-2 cushion. Zimmerman returned the favor to Pardy as she found her for both goals. With 3:54 remaining in the third, Zimmerman dumped the ball to Pardy in the post, and she finished with a hard shot to the right post. Just over a minute later, Zimmerman found Pardy wide open on the counter. After Estrada made a steal on the defensive end and found Zimmerman, she fed Pardy down the pool. Pardy faked the goalkeeper up and lob it by her to give IU a 4-2 lead. Zernicke found Meadows with a pass on the weak side of the post with IU on the six-on-five advantage to make it 5-2 with 1:43 left in the third.
The Bears scored on their first possession of the final period to draw within two at 5-3. With 1:21 remaining, the Bears scored on a goal from the perimeter to the left corner of the net that closed the gap to one. The Hoosiers responded with a pair of goals in an 18-second span to ice the contest. Meadows scored with IU on a two-player advantage, before Zimmerman tallied a marker on the counter off the dish from Zernicke. The Bears scored once more before the final horn to provide the margin, 7-5.
Pardy notched her second hat trick on the season and fourth of her Hoosier career. She also finished with a team and career-high four steals. Zernicke and Zimmerman had a trio of assists. Zimmerman also added two steals and two goals. Meadows finished with a pair of second-half goals to go along with three steals. Pyrz had six saves against the Bears, including a pair of six-on-five stops.
Indiana will conclude the Princeton Invitational with a match against Harvard on Sunday, Feb. 19. The game is slated for 1:20 p.m.
Players Mentioned
