Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan (CWPA Western Division Championship)
Hoosiers Fall Short of CWPA Western Division Championship
4/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 23, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 16 Indiana water polo team fell short in its quest for the program's first postseason Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Western Division Championship as it fell, 4-3, to No. 17 Michigan on April 23 at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. It marked the third straight season in which the Hoosiers dropped a one-goal match to the Wolverines in the title game. Despite a pair of goals from junior Brooke Zimmerman, the Hoosiers fell to 22-10 on the season, while Michigan improved to 27-11.
"It was a typically Indiana-Michigan match and was a battle until the end," Indiana head coach Barry King said. "It came down to giving up a few loose goals on our part defensively. We will sure those things up and be ready for the Eastern Championships. We have been preparing for this time of season, so we are definitely looking forward to the opportunity."
Michigan jumped out to an early lead with the first two goals of the contest. Shana Welch backhanded a shot off the left post from the two-meter position at the 5:04 mark for the first score of the contest. The Wolverines made it 2-0 when Kristin Hoogenboom snuck a shot just over the outstretched arm of sophomore goalkeeper Jackie Pyrz with a minute remaining in the first period.
Indiana finally got on the board with a power-play goal in the waning moments of the first period. Zimmerman drew a ejection on the perimeter to give IU the man advantage. Senior Janis Pardy fed the ball back to Zimmerman on the left side, and the Calgary, Alberta, Canada native scored to the near post, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
After Michigan scored to extend its lead back to two, 3-1, at the 3:41 mark of the second period, it was again Zimmerman who answered the call for the Hoosiers a minute later. Senior Bridget McKeon dumped the ball to Zimmerman in the post, and she wrapped a shot to the right corner past Wolverine goalkeeper Kristen Davis. The goal cut the gap to 3-2 before halftime.
The contest remained a defensive battle in the second half as well. The Hoosiers nearly fought off a pair of Wolverine six-on-five chances, but Michigan found the back of the net thanks to a four-meter penalty. Michigan had power-play chances starting at the 5:54 and 5:28 marks of the third period. The final opportunity netted a four-meter penalty as a Michigan player was pulled down in the two-meter attempting a shot. Megan Hausmann converted on the penalty for what proved to be the game-winner.
Indiana once again battled back to cut the gap to one at 4-3. After an ordinary foul on the left side of the four-meter, Pardy lob a pass to a fading Soria. The Villa Park, Calif., native gathered the pass and found an open net as she pushed the ball into the right corner. The goal was Soria's team-leading 53rd on the season and 10th of the CWPA Western Division Championship.
The goal also provided the final margin as neither team found the back of the net in the fourth period. Pyrz blocked Michigan shots on back-to-back possessions, including one that she cleared off the line with 4:30 remaining, to keep the deficit at one. The Hoosiers had a pair of shots blocked by the Michigan goalkeeper. Soria had a perimeter shot from the left side stifled, while Zimmerman saw her perimeter attempt from the right side get tipped high of the cage.
Indiana had a final chance with 34 seconds remaining. After the defense forced a Michigan shot-clock violation, the Hoosiers took a timeout to set up the final play. With 25 seconds remaining, Pardy attempted to dump the ball to sophomore Linda Calvert in the post, but the ball was knocked away. Michigan corralled the loose ball and swam out the remainder of the clock.
For the game, Pyrz finished with eight saves in the cage for IU. Zimmerman led the Hoosier defense with three steals, while junior Kristin Zernicke and senior Courtney Livak had a pair of swipes. Pardy led the Hoosiers with two assists to bring her season total to 42. The mark not only leads the team, but ranks as the second-high single-season total in school history. She trails Deb Simone's school record of 45.
The Hoosiers advance to the CWPA Eastern Championship in Providence, R.I., on April 29-30. The seedings for the Eastern Championship will be released early next week. The winner of the CWPA Eastern Championship will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Championship is slated for May 12-14 in Davis, Calif.
Players Mentioned
