Michigan
Indiana
Champions of the West! Michigan Claims Division Title
4/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: CWPA Western Division Championship
Score: #8 Michigan 5, #10 Indiana 4 (2OT)
Records: U-M (28-8)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., Apr. 23-25 -- at Eastern Championship (Bucknell, Pa.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The eighth-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team won its third consecutive division championship crown today (Sunday, April 18) with a 5-4 sudden-victory thriller against No. 10 Indiana in the CWPA Western Division Championship final at Canham Natatorium.
Meg Knudtsen (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis HS) scored the game-winning goal in the opening possession of the sudden-victory period. Julie Nisbet (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) drew an ejection on the Hoosiers, and on the ensuing power play, Megan Hausmann (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) found Knudtsen on the left side of the cage for the near-side goal.
The Wolverines trailed 4-3 with just over one minute to play in regulation, but Jo Antonsen's (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura HS) marker with 1:22 on the clock sent the game into overtime. Michigan's defense clamped down on the Hoosiers in the overtime periods, allowing only two shots, both of which were stopped by goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS).
Michigan found itself in the hole early, as the Hoosiers took advantage of an early U-M ejection. With Indiana's shot clock winding down, the Wolverines were whistled for the kick-out, leading to the Hoosiers' first goal of the game, with 5:55 to play in the opening period. Three minutes later, Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) knotted the game at one goal apiece. Welch received a crossing pass from Erin Brown (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) and sent a skip shot from the left side just under the arm of IU goalkeeper Jessica Goldner.
Neither team was able to break the tie for much of the second quarter. Michigan was called for a second penalty with just under three minutes before the half, but the Hoosiers' attempt sailed high and the game remained 1-1. Indiana finally broke the tie with a goal at the 1:25 mark. Janis Pardy received a crossing pass and sent the ball back across the U-M goal for the score. At the half, the Hoosiers held a 2-1 advantage.
The teams traded ejections to start the third period, but Michigan was able to capitalize on its power play, tying the game at 2-2. After taking the ball up to the point, Welch executed a give-and-go with Antonsen for the Michigan goal at 3:33. On the Hoosiers' ensuing possession, Antson stole a pass and found Sheetal Narsai (Commerce, Calif./Bell Gardens HS) on the counterattack. Narsai sent a skip shot across the IU cage to give with Wolverines a 3-2 lead. Indiana answered with Krista Peterson's second goal of the game with 49 seconds to play in the third. After 21 minutes of play, the game was tied 3-3.
Indiana gained a quick advantage in the fourth quarter, scoring with just over five minutes left in regulation. After a number of missed attempts at the equalizer, Michigan finally tied the game at 4-4 with Antonsen's shot from seven meters out with 1:22 to play. Armstrong then made a save as the final horn sounded to send the game into overtime.
Neither team was able to gain an advantage through the first two overtime periods. The Wolverines drew an ejection on the Hoosiers in the first three-minute frame, but Brown's shot was stopped by Goldner. U-M's defense was equally as stingy, allowing only two shots during two overtime periods. As the second three-minute session ended, Brown's attempt from seven meters hit the crossbar and the teams prepared for sudden victory.
To start the sudden victory period, Welch won the sprint for the Wolverines. On that possession, Nisbet drew an ejection, leading to Knudtsen's game-winning goal.
The Wolverines (28-8) will prepare for the Eastern Championship on April 23-25, where they will likely garner the No. 1 seed. The winner of the Eastern Championship earns the CWPA's automatic berth to the NCAA Final Four (May 8-9).
Game Summary
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | OT | OT | F |
| Indiana | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Indiana Goals: Krista Peterson 2, Janis Pardy, Melissa Pietras. Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 2, Sheetal Narsai, Jo Antonsen, Meg Knudtsen. Ejections: Indiana 5, Michigan 3
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the game ... "It is what I was saying before: Indiana is a Top 10 team as we are. We beat them for the 15th time in a row and it makes you wonder how long this can go on. That is the best Indiana has played against us. It went right down to the wire, but fortunately for us we were able to make plays when we needed to."
On the game-winning goal ... "It felt great because the girls kept trying. They just didn't give up and it paid off."
On preparing for the Eastern Championship ... "We did some things well today, but we still have a few things we need to work on. Hopefully we can do that this week in practice and get a few wins next weekend.
Michigan Junior Driver Meg Knudtsen
On her game-winning goal ... "We had a set play to run. Megan made an awesome pass and I just shot it near-side. If I had missed, I probably would have been in big trouble. I am just happy it went in."
On U-M's success against Indiana ... "It is a possibility with any team that they could beat us. Of course that is in the back of your head. We were really pumped up for this game. It seems like such a mind game when we play against them because it always seems so close. They were up on us a lot today, but we always come through in the end when it counts. It was a little closer that we would have liked, but we are happy."
On winning three straight championships ... "It is a pretty good feeling. We are really looking forward to next weekend because that is when it really counts for the Final Four. Hopefully we will come up with a few wins next weekend and be able to go out to California in a couple of weeks."
N O T E S
• With the victory, Michigan claimed its third consecutive CWPA division championship title. The Wolverines were Southern Division champions in 2002 and 2003.
• Michigan is now 15-0-1 against Indianan all-time.
• Julie Nisbet drew a pair of ejections today to set a new Michigan record with 57 drawn ejections this season.
• Shana Welch scored her 50th goal of the season and now has a U-M record 51 markers this year.
