BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated No. 16 Indiana University, 9-8, at the Councilman Billingsley Aquatic Center, running its win streak over the Hoosiers to 12 games which dates back to April 2015.
Kata Utassy led the Wolverines (19-9) with three goals to earn her 12th hat trick of the season and added three assists for six points. Alex Brown was the star between the pipes with 10 saves, including a penalty save to keep Michigan in front.
Indiana got in the board first with back-to-back goals before Issy Jackson chased down a ball, beat the goalie for a steal and poked it in for a goal. The Hoosiers got the goal back, taking a 3-1 lead, but Utassy fired a shot from deep and past the keeper to pull U-M within one. IU scored a pair of goals to go up 5-2, but Sophie Tovani also nailed a deep shot to pull Michigan within two at the end of the first, trailing 5-3.
Tovani’s goal started a five-goal run for the Wolverines that spanned the second quarter and early part of the third. Utassy scored a pair of goals — both coming on penalty shots — that bookended tallies from Elise Walker (3:07 left in the second quarter) and Erin Neustrom (6:29, third quarter) to give Michigan a 7-5 lead.
Indiana cut Michigan’s advantage to one, but Neustrom responded late in the period to give U-M an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Sammi Monroe got the Wolverines started in the final quarter with a bullet past the keeper, giving Michigan a 9-6 lead. The Hoosiers scored a pair of goals 49 seconds apart to get back to within one, 9-8, with 2:04 to go in regulation. Brown came up big in the final two minutes with two saves to give Michigan the win.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
