Michigan
UC San Diego
Wolverines Kick Off Season With Undefeated Weekend
2/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Michigan Kick-Off
Scores: #9 Michigan 8, #17 UC San Diego 6; #9 Michigan 9, Slippery Rock 5
Records: U-M (5-0)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 10 -- at Slug Invitational
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team won both games on Sunday (Feb. 5) to finish 5-0 in the Michigan Kick-Off, defeating No. 17 UC San Diego, 8-6, and Slippery Rock, 9-5, at Canham Natatorium. Michigan came from behind against the UCSD Tritons, scoring three third-period goals and allowing none. Lorraine Negron (Erie, Pa./McDowell) made nine saves her first collegiate game to lead U-M to a win over Slippery Rock in Michigan's final game of the tournament.
In the first match of the day against UCSD, the Wolverines jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead just 1:11 in on a shot from Carly Strub (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck). The Tritons answered with a goal, but Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming West Valley) put U-M back up, 2-1, five minutes into the first. UCSD tied it up 2-2 just before the period break.
Welch and Megan Hausmann (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's) each scored in the first two minutes of the second period to give Michigan a two-goal lead. Welch's second goal of the game came on the man-advantage on the left side of the offensive setup, while Hausmann's shot came off a pass from Sharayah Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) inside four meters. UCSD was able to tie it with two extra-attacker goals in the final four and a half minutes of the second, and the teams went to half tied 4-4.
The two teams traded goals in the fifth minute of the third period, with Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) scoring on the power-play for Michigan. The Tritons got their first lead of the day, 6-5, scoring the only other goal in the third frame with 2:12 left.
Kristen Davis (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) stepped up for the Wolverines in the final period, shutting out the Tritons in the fourth. U-M combined that with three fourth-period goals to complete the 8-6 come-from-behind win. Hausmann tallied a 6-on-5 marker that she buried from long range off the crossbar and in. Welch scored her third and fourth goals to ice the win. Welch scored a tricky skip shot to give Michigan the 7-6 lead and added a no-look backhand for the insurance marker from just outside the four meter. With her four goals in the game, Welch became Michigan's all-time leader in career goals with 149, surpassing Sheetal Narsai (2002-05), who had 148 in her career.
Carrie Frost (Saline, Mich./Saline), Michelle Keeley (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) and Nicole Santarosa (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Peninsula) each had two goals in the 9-5 win over Slippery Rock. Haley Mullins (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) led the Wolverines with a goal and five assists while also recording six steals. Her six steals tie a school record that Meg Knudtsen (2002-05) set last season against Gannon March 6, 2005.
The Rock scored quickly 47 seconds into the game, but Michigan answered with three straight goals to push the score to 3-1. Keeley scored the only other goal in the first after several passes in the Wolverine offensive zone. Frost followed with her seventh and eighth of the weekend to start the second. Both of Frost's tallied came just outside the two meter on left ropes.
After a Rock goal to begin the third, U-M responded with three more goals to go up 6-2. Keeley got her second and Santarosa added two more in a 33-second span, giving the Wolverines a four-goal advantage heading into the final period.
The two teams traded goals twice in a 3:10 span starting at 5:58. Carrie Stover (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) scored her first goal of the game with 4:59 remaining in the fourth on a shot from in close. Mullins netted her first career goal with 2:48 left in the game inside the four-meter to make it 8-4. The Tritons followed with a power-play tally 31 seconds later, and Amy Cuckovich (Davis, Calif./Davis) got on the board for the first time in her career on the man-advantage in the final minute of the game to solidify the 9-5 win.
Michigan will head out west next weekend to play its first road games of the season. On Friday (Feb. 10), U-M will face UC Santa Cruz. On Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 11-12), the Wolverines will compete in the Stanford Invitational.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| UC San Diego | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Michigan | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
Scoring
UC San Diego Goals: Judy Emaus 2, Michelle Perkins 2, Kristen Frazer, Kim Hockett. Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 4, Megan Hausmann 2, Carly Strub, Julie Hyrne. Ejections: UCSD 8, U-M 5.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Slippery Rock | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Michigan | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Scoring
Slippery Rock Goals: Erika Brunner, Ashley Goodwill, Sarah Sander, Laura Sanford, Amanda Zychowski. Michigan Goals: Michelle Keeley 2, Carrie Frost 2, Nicole Santarosa 2, Amy Cuckovich, Haley Mullins, Carrie Stover. Ejections: SRU 5, U-M 3.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
