Indiana University
Michigan (Championship Match)
Michigan Edges Hoosiers for CWPA Western Division Title
4/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 19, 2009
IU Photo Gallery 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers women's water polo team rallied late against No. 12 Michigan, but it was not enough, as the Wolverines hung on for a 9-8 win to capture the CWPA Western Division Championship on Sunday at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Kelsey Campbell recorded three goals for the Hoosiers, while freshman Jakie Köhli and sophomore Nicole Redder added a pair of scores each. Sophomore Lauren Wyckoff rounded out the attack for Indiana with one goal.
"It's always tough to lose a hard fought game," said Indiana head coach Barry King. "We're a resilient bunch, but it makes things difficult when you get down early to a team like Michigan."
Michigan grabbed the lead midway through the first quarter with a long range goal after a quick pass to the weak side. The Hoosiers responded as Redder found the net during a power play after a cross pass from Köhli. The Wolverines would finish the first period with two more goals to take a 3-1 lead.
Michigan would begin the second quarter with a quick strike on a six on five opportunity to widen the margin to three. Indiana would briefly take the momentum with goals by Redder and Köhli to pull within a goal. The Wolverines did not stay out of the net for long, as they came back with three goals in the last 2:19 of the first half. The late flurry would prove to be costly for the Hoosiers, as it included a last second no look overhead flip shot by a Wolverine that sailed over freshman Cassie Wyckoff to give Michigan a 7-3 halftime edge.
Wyckoff recorded five saves during the first half for the Hoosiers. Junior Katie Carson came in to start the second half and would give Indiana a lift, finishing the contest with nine stops and allowing only two goals.
The Wolverines came out of the break and widened the gap to 8-3 with a hard earned goal from close range. Campbell would answer with a power play goal from the top of the key after an assist from Redder. Redder finished the game with team-highs of two assists and four kick-outs earned.
After another Michigan score and the game getting away from the Hoosiers, sophomore Kara Butler earned a crucial penalty shot, which Lauren Wyckoff would hammer home to bring Indiana within four heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers mounted a fierce charge in the final period, forcing the game to come down to the final possession, much like the first meeting between the two rivals. Köhli started things off with a long skip shot from the left side that got past the Michigan goalie. Campbell would then nail a powerful shot into the top right corner of the cage to make it a 9-7 Wolverine advantage. Campbell capped her stellar fourth quarter with a power play goal after an assist by Redder to pull within one.
Indiana grabbed possession with under a minute to play, but a shot sailed high over the Michigan goal. The Wolverines would use a pair of timeouts and steady control to hang on to the ball for the final seconds to earn the title.
"We can definitely take something away from this as we head to Easterns," said King. "There is no reason we can't do something special if we compete as hard as we did in the second half of this game."
Indiana did not come out of the weekend empty handed, as they have earned an automatic berth into the upcoming CWPA Eastern Championship in Cambridge, Mass. on April 24-26. The schedule and seedings for the tournament will be announced on Monday by the CWPA. The winner at the Eastern Championship will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
