Bus rides are hard.
But bus rides following a rivalry loss are excruciating.
In another classic battle between the 17th-ranked Michigan water polo team and Indiana, the Wolverines found the trip back to Ann Arbor difficult, having given up key chances en route to a 9-7 overtime loss in Bloomington.
“That was the longest bus ride of my life,” sophomore Julie Hyrne said. “Everyone was not really in a good mood.”
There wasn’t too much to be happy about after falling just 42 seconds short of victory. Taking a one-goal lead into the final minute, a controversial call put the Wolverines a player down. Indiana made the most of it, knotting the score at six to send the game to overtime.
With the crowd behind them, the Hoosiers netted two goals in the first half of overtime to seal the victory. The win was Indiana’s fifth in the 26-game series and marked the 18th time the two teams were separated by two goals or fewer.
“We have to take advantage of our opportunities earlier in the game in order for this not to happen,” Michigan coach Matt Anderson said. “You can’t wait for the fourth quarter. You have to get it done in the first and second quarter.”
On Indiana’s senior day, Michigan (6-1 CWPA, 29-14 overall) got it done early. Trailing 1-0 early in the contest, the Wolverines netted four straight goals, quieting the crowd at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
With the game shaping similarly to Michigan’s rout over the Hoosiers earlier this season, the Wolverines seemed to have their first regular-season sweep of Indiana for the first time in three years.
But in the second quarter, Indiana (7-0, 14-13) stifled the Michigan offense and produced three goals of its own to deadlock the game going into halftime.
“In the second quarter, we weren’t there,” Hyrne said. “I don’t know what happened. Maybe we thought it was going to be easier because we were so pumped up and we played so well in the first quarter. And then we just kind of fell apart.”
With a second half lead, Michigan had several chances to put the game away. On two fast breaks, the Wolverines beat the keeper, but found the crossbar instead of the net. On another fast break, Michigan missed the net completely.
“We need to finish our opportunities,” Anderson said. “That’s what it comes down to. When you get those two-on-one breaks, you’ve got to score them. And we didn’t do that.”
But getting a chance to play an intense overtime game this late in the season presents an opportunity in itself. With 18 freshmen and sophomores, the first Michigan-Indiana overtime game in two seasons provided invaluable experience going into the Western Divisional Championship in two weeks. If all goes according to plan, the Hoosiers and the Wolverines are set to square off in the final.
“In the month of April, our focus is the postseason,” Anderson said. “Regardless if we were playing in this game, we need to focus on what we need to do to win the tournament championship and win the bid to the final eight.”