Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Head West For UC Santa Cruz Slugfest
2/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 24, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers will travel to Santa Cruz, Calif., to take part in the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest on February 28 and March 1. The Hoosiers will open up the tournament with a match-up against host UC Santa Cruz at 9:45 a.m. PT on Saturday. Indiana will then have games against Cal State Monterey Bay at 1:15 p.m. PT and Pacific at 4:45 p.m. PT to wrap up the first day of action. They will finish the weekend with a meeting against Santa Clara at 9:45 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Indiana heads into the weekend with a 1-6 overall record, after enduring a difficult opening schedule filled with highly ranked teams. The Hoosiers have competed against five of the top seven teams in the nation, including losses to No. 1 USC and No. 2 Stanford in the Stanford Invite. Indiana also played No. 7 Arizona State down to the wire in a 10-9 overtime loss. The Hoosiers led by one goal during the first half of the overtime period against the Sun Devils. Indiana's victory came in the Michigan Kick-Off against Colorado State.
Indiana is currently led in scoring by sophomore Amy Moore with 13 goals, followed by senior Maggie Hannon with 9. Moore tied a school single-game scoring record with six goals in the loss to Arizona State. Defensively, sophomore Nicole Redder and freshman goalie Cassie Wyckoff lead the way with 12 steals each.
Wyckoff has made five starts at goalie this season for the Hoosiers. She has made 45 saves, while posting a goals against average of 9.44. Wyckoff was named the CWPA Western Division Rookie of the Week following her performance at the Stanford Invite, which included 15 saves against Arizona State. Junior Katie Carson has started two games at goalkeeper, and has recorded 24 saves this season.
A Closer Look at the Opponents
UC Santa Cruz
Tournament host, UC Santa Cruz, enters the weekend with a 4-5 overall record. The Banana Slugs' key returnees are seniors Heather Stewart and Annie Keating, as both were named to the All-Tournament Second Team at the Division III Championships last season.
Indiana holds a 4-0 record all-time against UC Santa Cruz. The Hoosiers defeated UC Santa Cruz in 2007, 16-3.
Common Opponents:
UC Santa Cruz vs. Colorado State, L 9-13
UC Santa Cruz vs. Colorado State, L 7-9
UC Santa Cruz at Stanford, L 4-19
Cal State Monterey Bay
Cal State Monterey Bay comes into the Slugfest with a 2-12 record, and have lost their last eight games. The Otters are led by sophomore utility player Nikki Smart, who scored a team-high six goals at the Seawolf Splash on February 21-22. In goal, sophomore Kristen Prosser has 30 saves for CSUMB.
The upcoming game between the Hoosiers and CSUMB will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Common Opponents:
CSUMB vs. California, L 2-20
CSUMB vs. Colorado State, L 5-10
CSUMB vs. Colorado State, L 6-8
Pacific
Pacific enters this weekend's play with a 4-6 record. The Tigers are led by junior Alex Kutac, who has been an effective scorer all season for Pacific. Kutac scored six goals in a 15-11 loss to Cal Baptist.
The Hoosiers have a 1-2 all-time record against Pacific. Their last meeting was a 7-3 Pacific win in 2000.
Common Opponents:
Pacific vs. California, L 4-14
Pacific vs. Colorado State, W 9-7
Santa Clara
Santa Clara has a 5-7 overall record as they enter the weekend. The Broncos are coming off a 5-3 loss to Pacific last weekend, as well as 10-9 victory over Cal Baptist. Senior Amy Lamb is the focal point of the Santa Clara offense, leading the team with 18 goals. Sophomore Taylor Harkins also has 11 goals for the Broncos. Sophomore Wren Wright has made eight starts at goalkeeper, and has tallied 60 saves on the season.
Indiana holds a 3-1 series edge against Santa Clara, however the Broncos won the last game 10-8 last season.
Common Opponents:
Santa Clara vs. Stanford, L 3-17
