Michigan
George Washington
Michigan Sweeps Opening Day of Princeton Invitational
2/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Princeton, N.J. (DeNunzio Pool)
Event: Princeton Invitational
Scores: #9 Michigan 17, George Washington 4; #9 Michigan 9, #17 Brown 4
Records: U-M (8-3)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 15 -- at #19 Princeton (Princeton, N.J.), 10 a.m.
PRINCETON, N.J. -- The ninth-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team dominated its competition today (Saturday, Feb. 14) in the first day of the Princeton Invitational. The Wolverines (8-3), defeated George Washington 17-4 in the first game of the tournament. U-M held a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. In the evening contest, the Wolverines topped No. 17 Brown by a score of 9-4. The Maize and Blue got off to a strong start against the Bears, taking a 7-1 lead at the half.
Freshman Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) paced the Wolverines, scoring hat tricks in each game. She also had four steals against George Washington. Megan Hausmann (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) also had an impressive day, dishing out six assists during the day and tallying a goal and four steals against Brown. Over Michigan's two games, Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) totaled 17 saves, including 12 against Brown.
The Wolverines started the tournament strong, notching a 17-4 victory over George Washington. Michigan got off to a quick start against the Colonials, amassing a 6-0 lead after the first quarter. George Washington got on the board in the second period, but two more goals from the Wolverines made the score 8-1 at halftime.
Michigan continued to control the game, outscoring George Washington 5-0 in the third quarter to take a 13-1 lead into the final period. The Colonials found their offense in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in the period, but Michigan was comfortably ahead at that point.
In the evening, the Wolverines faced No. 17 Brown, the team that knocked Michigan out of the Eastern Championship last season. Early in the first quarter, neither team was able to gain an advantage and the game remained knotted at zero with three minutes to play. The Michigan offense then came alive, scoring three goals over the next 55 seconds to take a 3-0 lead. Erin Brown (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) struck first for Michigan at the 2:46 mark. Welch scored the next two goals and U-M held a 3-0 lead after the first period of play.
Brown closed the gap to 3-1 early in the second period. Hausmann answered for the Wolverines to make the score 4-1 with 5:20 to go before halftime. Michigan went on to score three more goals before the half and the Wolverines took a commanding 7-1 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the play was much more even, but the Michigan defense held up to preserve the lead. U-M scored the lone goal of the third quarter, making the score 8-1 heading into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Brown outscored the Wolverines 3-1, but it was not enough.
Michigan will face host team Princeton in the second day of the Princeton Invitational tomorrow (Feb. 15) at 10 a.m. The Wolverines will then close out the tournament with a contest against Wagner at 2 p.m.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| George Washington | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Michigan | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 17 |
Scoring
George Washington Goals: Vanessa Fravel 2, Elizabeth Schweitzer, Kira Canon. Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 3, Julie Nisbet 3, Sheetal Narsai 2, Jamie Brown 2, Melissa Goldberg, Megan Hausmann, Erin Brown, Casey Kerney, Meg Knudtsen, Jenna Green, Ashley McCullum. Ejections: George Washington 1, Michigan 2.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Brown | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Michigan | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Scoring
Brown Goals: Claire Angyal, Heidi Wendt, Sonia Lamel, Paige Lansing. Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 3, Erin Brown, Casey Kerney, Sheetal Narsai, Megan Hausmann, Meg Knudtsen, Melissa Goldberg. Ejections: Brown 2, Michigan 3.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
