Michigan
Hawaii
Michigan Unable to Answer No. 5 Hawaii in Second Half
3/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- The No. 12 University of Michigan women's water polo team lost a 6-5 decision Wednesday (March 2) to fifth-ranked Hawaii at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center. Michigan held a 3-2 halftime lead, but a three-goal run by the Rainbow Wahine in the second half sealed the game.
Erin Brown (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) led Michigan offensively, factoring in on three of the Wolverines' five goals. Brown tallied one score, assisted on another and drew a four-meter penalty for U-M that led to a score. On the defensive side of the ball, Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) made 10 saves in net.
Hawaii took an early 1-0 lead with a marker on its third possession of the game. After working the ball around the perimeter, the Rainbow Wahine overloaded the Michigan defense on the weak side and scored on a low skip shot to the right side. The Wolverines answered with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead after one period of play. Brown knotted the game at 1-1 at 3:45 with a shot to the upper right corner from seven meters out. Geraldine Hazlett (Modesto, Calif./Johansen HS) gave Michigan a one-goal lead with 1:14 to play in the first quarter when she scored on a six-meter, cross-cage shot to the upper right corner.
The Rainbow Wahine quickly tied the game at 2-2, scoring in the first minute of the second quarter. Hawaii found Beth Novak in the hole set for a marker off the right post with 6:10 on the clock. Hawaii had an opportunity to take the lead after earning an ejection against the Wolverines with 3:35 to play in the quarter, but Michigan killed the penalty and scored on the ensuing possession to regain its one-goal advantage. After Hawaii's power-play attempt sailed wide, Meg Knudtsen (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis HS) found Jo Antonsen (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura HS) with a crossing pass on the right side of the pool. Antonsen slipped a shot just inside the right post for the Michigan score. After 14 minutes of play, the Wolverines held a 3-2 advantage.
In the third quarter, Hawaii took control of the game, outscoring Michigan 2-0 in the period. Novak found Monika Kruszona in two meters for a backhand shot that tied the game at 3-3 with 4:52 to play in the third quarter. The Rainbow Wahine then quickly took the lead with a power-play goal at 2:41 to hold a 4-3 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Hawaii scored on a six-on-five goal early in the fourth quarter to make the score 5-3. Michigan cut the lead to one with a power-play goal by Megan Hausmann (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS), but the Rainbow Wahine answered on their next possession to reestablish their two-goal advantage. With less than one minute to play and the score 6-4 in favor of Hawaii, Michigan found Brown on the counterattack and earned a four-meter penalty on the play. Sheetal Narsai (Commerce, Calif./Bell Gardens HS) converted on the attempt to pull the Wolverines to within one, 6-5, with 32 seconds to play. Hawaii, however, was able to run out the clock to secure the win.
Michigan (8-8) will travel cross-country to participate in the CWPA League Tournament on Saturday and Sunday (March 5-6). The Wolverines will start the tournament with a match against Grove City at 11:15 a.m. Saturday in Grove City, Pa.
GAME SUMMARY
| Score by Periods | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Erin Brown, Megan Hausmann, Sheetal Narsai, Geraldine Hazlett, Jo Antonsen. Hawaii Goals: Monika Kruszona 2, Beth Novak, Malia Tarayao, Audrey Harrer, Anna Sieprath. Ejections: U-M 7, UH 6.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
