Michigan
San Diego State
U-M Tops Two Ranked Teams to Finish Regular Season
4/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Long Beach, Calif.
Event: Long Beach Invitational
Scores: #12 Michigan 7, #13 San Diego State 6; #12 Michigan 7, #11 California-Irvine 5
Records: U-M (22-12), UC-Irvine (13-14)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., April 22-23 -- at Western Division Championship (Grove City, Pa.)
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The No. 12 University of Michigan women's water polo team earned a pair of victories on Sunday (April 17) at the Long Beach Invitational to finish the tournament with a 3-1 record and close out the regular season with a 22-12 overall mark. Michigan topped No. 13 San Diego State 7-6 during the morning session and secured a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over No. 11 UC Irvine to wrap up the tournament.
| | Hausmann tallied the game-winning goal against both SDSU and UC Irvine. |
Against San Diego State, the Wolverines jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Welch started the scoring for Michigan with a steal on the defensive end leading to a one-on-one goal for the early lead. The Wolverines continued their run with a goal by Narsai late in the first quarter and then a second-period marker from Carly Strub (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck HS) from six meters out. The Aztecs answered by scoring three out of the next four goals in the game to draw to within one, 4-3, at the half.
Narsai struck first in the third quarter to give the Wolverines a 5-3 advantage early in the period. SDSU responded with back-to-back goals to knot the game at 5-5 with 2:58 left in the third quarter, but Michigan regained its one-goal lead with Strub's second tally of the game late in the period to take a 6-5 lead into the final period.
After San Diego State tied the game at 6-6 early in the fourth quarter, Hausmann scored what proved to be the game-winner out of the hole set with 3:33 to play in the game. The Wolverine defense clamped down for the remainder of the match to hold on for the win.
Against UC Irvine, the two teams stormed out of the gates, scoring a combined seven goals in the first quarter. Welch started the scoring with another steal and counter and Antonsen added a pair of first-quarter goals to give Michigan a 4-3 advantage heading into the second period. The Anteaters, however, scored the lone goal of the second quarter to tie the game at 4-4 after 14 minutes of play.
After UC Irvine took a 5-4 lead early in the second half, Welch started a three-goal run, tying the game at 5-5 with 2:51 to play in the third quarter. Hausmann added the game-winning goal with just over one minute left in the third quarter to give the Wolverines a 6-5 edge heading into the final period. Welch secured the Wolverine victory with her third goal of the game on U-M's first possession of the fourth quarter to close out the scoring in the contest.
Michigan will begin postseason play as the No. 2 seed at the CWPA Western Division Championships on April 22-23. This year's championships are being held in Grove City, Pa.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| San Diego State | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Carly Strub 2, Megan Hausmann 2, Sheetal Narsai 2, Shana Welch. San Diego State Goals: Rachel Serna 2, Becca Ur, Savannah Kelly, Stacey Werner, Elana Cervantes. Ejections: U-M 4, SDSU 4. Goalie Saves: Betsey Armstrong (U-M) 9, Sarah Kilgore (SDSU) 7.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| UC Irvine | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 3, Jo Antonsen 2, Sheetal Narsai, Megan Hausmann. UC Irvine Goals: Jessica Lewis 2, Alicia Weider, Robyn Kaake, Nicole Frish. Ejections: U-M 7, UCI 8. Goalie Saves: Betsey Armstrong (U-M) 10, Laura Machanis (UCI) 11.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the tournament ... "This is such a tough tournament that heading into it I thought we could go from 1-3 to 4-0 or anywhere in between. We were just 1:20 from being 4-0 with the missed opportunity against Hawaii, but 3-1 is still outstanding. Hawaii is the hottest team in water polo, San Diego State is a perennial top 10 team and UC Irvine may be the second hottest team right now. To go 3-1 on a quick trip against top 10 talent is very good. The girls are playing well, I am happy with the team's attitude and we are spreading the wealth. Like I said, this is an extremely tough tournament and going 3-1 was the best-case scenario for us. There is nothing more I could ask for."
On the outlook for the postseason ... "This tournament shows that what we have been doing is working and it sets us up for the next two weekends of our season. Any of the top seeds could win those tournaments, but this gives us some confidence. To go 3-1 on the road against some of the top teams in the country gives us a lot of momentum. We are right where we want to be at this point in the season."
N O T E S
Michigan finished the regular season with a 22-12 record. The 22 victories are the second-most regular-season wins in the program's history.
Betsey Armstrong recorded her 11th game of the season with 10 or more saves, posting 10 blocks against UC Irvine. Armstrong now has 63 games in her career with 10 or more saves.
Shana Welch scored her school-record 13th hat trick of the season against UC Irvine. Welch set the record last season with 12 hat tricks and now has 25 in her career.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
