By Ricardo Garcia — (@SJSURicardoG) — Reporter
San Jose State’s women’s water polo (11-12, 0-4 MPSF) was defeated by the University of Indiana (12-12, 1-3 MPSF) 6-3 in what felt more like an intense chess match than a water polo game.
The Spartans got a good start on both sides of the ball in the opening two periods but could not keep the momentum going into the final two periods of play.
In the first period, both teams came out swinging, taking turns hurling shots in hopes of getting on the board first. After a scoreless six minutes, senior utility player Olga Descalzi found the back of the net to draw first blood for SJSU.
Down by one after the first period, the Hoosiers needed to get the offense going and that’s exactly what they did, netting three goals after a scoreless first period.
Despite the offensive surge from Indiana, the Spartans remained composed and added two goals of their own to even the score with only two periods remaining.
Heading into the third period, SJSU looked to tighten up on defense after allowing three goals. However senior center Izzy Mandema had plans of her own.
Mandema took over in the final two periods scoring two in the third and one more in the second finishing with four goals on six shot attempts to help the Hoosiers secure the victory.
The Spartan defense that held strong in the opening frame seemingly crumbled while the offense fizzled out in the process creating a less than ideal situation for SJSU.
This win snaps a three-game losing streak for Indiana before they hit the road for a four-game road trip. For the Spartans this loss marks their fourth loss in five games with two tough home games left against USC and Stanford to close out the regular season.
SJSU will be back in action against the Trojans on April 3 at the SRAC pool with the Opening tip scheduled for 12:00 p.m.