SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — No. 13-ranked Indiana University got off to a surging start in their 2018 campaign with a pair of wins in their first leg of the University of California-Santa Barbara Winter Invite. The Hoosiers secured a 12-6 win over Fresno State University before pushing past No. 16 University of California-San Diego with an 8-6 victory.
Indiana senior Jennifer Beadle reached a milestone against Fresno State by scoring her 100th career goal, the first of four to lead the Hoosiers past the Bulldogs. Kelly Matthews was back in All-America form, creating nine goals (three goals, six assists) between both games.
The Hoosiers’ win against the Tritons was significant given how closely the teams have played over recent seasons. Sarah Young led the offensive end with a hat trick and two helpers, while the defense allowed just one successful Triton power play in 10 attempts.
With the successful first day, the Hoosiers are 2-0 for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2014.
Facing Fresno State in the Bulldogs’ first-game as a varsity program, Beadle splashed into her senior season with four goals, matching a career high, and one assist. The center scored three of those in the second with two of Indiana’s three goals in the fourth period. Dating back to the end of last year, Beadle has 16 goals in her last six games.
Matthews didn’t miss a beat in her first game back from a third consecutive All-America season, scoring the 36th hat trick of her career alongside three assists and a steal. Matthews scored twice in the second quarter to help the Hoosiers pull away from a back-and-forth beginning. The goals bring the senior’s career tally to 210 for fifth place in IU history.
Young and Mollie Williams each scored two goals and combined for all three IU goals in the first period. Young added her second in the final minute of the first half to give the Hoosiers an 8-4 lead. Williams now has multiple scores in 15-of-32 career appearances.
Freshman Jessica Rodriguez scored the first goal of her collegiate career, and it came at a crucial time in the game. Following Fresno State’s five-meter penalty conversion that tied the game at 4-4, Rodriguez found the netting to break the tie for good as she sparked a 4-0 run to end the half.
Jessica Gaudreault recorded nine saves with a penalty meter stop and made two steals. Young and Rodriguez added two steals apiece, while the team held Fresno State to just 2-of-10 on power play opportunities.
Facing UC-San Diego, Young tossed her fifth career hat trick and created her highest offensive output since last year’s game against California Baptist University (2/25/17, 5 goals) to pace Indiana’s attack. She scored the first goal of the game on IU’s second possession and found two more in the latter half.
The Tritons countered Young’s opener and gained a lead late in the first period and looked to extend it with a five-meter penalty chance. Gaudreault stuffed the free attempt and flipped the pool with a counter attack. The Hoosiers found sophomore Megan Abarta, who answered with 10 seconds left on the clock by scoring her first of a career-high two goals.
That conversion sparked a 2-0 run that stretched the second quarter, during which the Hoosiers found goals from Emily Powell and Joelle Nacouzi. A six-on-five play at the end of the half set up Nacouzi’s score, which she converted with just one second remaining.
As expected when these two teams collide, the Tritons made a late push to pull back to a two-goal deficit with two minutes left in the game. But the Hoosiers found their perfect answer: a goal from Williams that kept IU’s lead safe to the final buzzer. Williams has remarkably scored or provided an assist in 29-of-33 career appearances.
Release courtesy Indiana University Athletics Communications
