Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
UC San Diego
Tough Weekend Ahead at Harvard Invitational
3/3/2017 12:17:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Weekend in Boston begins with a familiar West Coast foe
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana returns to the road after a successful unbeaten weekend at home. They bring a five-game winning streak into a tough tournament field at the 2017 Harvard Invitational, featuring two top-25 opponents.
Friday's game promises to be a hard-fought contest, as are all games when the Hoosiers and Tritons take opposite ends of the pool. After Saturday's games with Iona and Siena, the Hoosiers will end the weekend with a rematch against Wagner.
All four games will stream live on the Ivy League Digital Network. Subscriptions are $15.95 per month or $49.95 per four months.
2017 Harvard Invitational
March 3-5, 2017 • Boston, Mass. • Blodgett Pool
Friday, March 3
#14 Indiana (7-2) vs. #16 UC San Diego (5-8) | 6:30 p.m. ET | Live Stream
Saturday, March 4
#14 Indiana (7-2) vs. Iona (0-4) | 10 a.m. ET | Live Stream
#14 Indiana (7-2) vs. Siena (0-10) | 3 p.m. ET | Live Stream
Sunday, March 5
#14 Indiana (7-2) vs. #21 Wagner (4-7) | 10:30 a.m. ET | Live Stream
Hoosier Notes:
Last Time: Highlight Night With California Baptist
Indiana took part in a thrilling home series last weekend at the Hoosier Invitational. The Hoosiers swept the field, ending with a 13-6 victory over No. 25 California Baptist. Sarah Young led the way with five goals—her new career high—while Joelle Nacouzi stuffed three goals and three assists onto the stat sheet.
Young's fourth goal of the game gained serious notoriety on the national stage. The long-range backhanded shot was featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that evening.
Fresh Waters
The Hoosiers are gaining a considerable amount of production from their newcomers, especially those who joined the team at the start of the spring semester. Joelle Nacouzi has 16 goals (2nd-team) and 9 assists (1st-team), leading all Hoosiers in both games with multiple goals (5) and multiple assists (3).
Mollie Williams has added 11 goals, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Another freshman international student, Emily Powell, broke though with her first 2 assists of the year against Cal Baptist.
Back in Her Element
Jessica Gaudreault has made an emphatic return to Indiana since coming back from a two-year stint with the Canadian National Team. The junior averages 11.5 saves per game along with 4 steals and 6 assists this season.
Gaudreault, a two time All-CWPA first teamer, has the Hoosiers at 5-1 when she makes more than 10 saves. Her best quarter is the first, where she allows just 1.1 goals on average.
Clash of the Tritons
It's no doubt that both teams had this game circled on the calendar at the start of the year. Indiana and UC San Diego have played 16 times overall, with the Tritons taking 10 of the meetings. The games always have consequences: NCAA Tournament meetings, games that end in overtime, and close contests.
The last five meetings have been decided by three goals or less, with the Hoosiers taking three of those games.
By Their Lead
The Hoosiers announced a trio of brand new captains to lead the team through the 2017 campaign: junior Jessica Gaudreault, junior Kelly Matthews, and senior Bronwyn Smith.
Of Note…
• The Hoosiers are on a five-game winning streak since their upset over Hawaii in the opening weekend. Indiana's longest win streak in historyis 12 games, and they are three away from passing their most recent win streak from last season (8; 4/9/16 - 4/30/16).
• Six players have expanded their play to the international level. Jessica Gaudreault is a member of Canada's Senior National Team; Sarah Myers, Kelly Matthews, and Joelle Nacouzi have all played for Canada at the junior level; Mollie Williams and Emily Powell have played in Australia's youth system.
• Eight Hoosiers come to Bloomington from outside of the United States. Jessica Gaudreault, Sarah Myers, Kelly Matthews, and Joelle Nacouzi hail from Canada; Emily Powell, Mollie Williams, and assistant coach Emily Carr come from Australia; head coach Ryan Castle is from South Africa.
