Michigan
Colorado State
Wolverines Earn Split on Opening Day of Michigan Kick-Off
1/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Michigan Kick-Off (Day 1)
Scores: #18 Michigan 16, Colorado State 5; #11 Arizona State 7, #18 Michigan 5
Record: U-M (1-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 27 -- vs. UC San Diego (9:10 a.m.), vs. San Jose State (12:40 p.m.) in Michigan Kick-Off (Canham Natatorium)
Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan water polo team split its first two games of the season Saturday (Jan. 26) on the opening day of the Michigan Kick-Off at Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines got things started with a 16-5 victory over Colorado State but fell 7-5 to No. 11-ranked Arizona State later in the day.
Six freshmen notched the first goals of their careers with the Maize and Blue, led by a trio of markers from Keller Felt(La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) and Alison Mantel(Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep). Junior Julie Hyrne(Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) registered a hat trick of her own in the first game of the day.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kimberly Gero(Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) turned aside eight CSU shots in the season opener, and junior Brittany May(Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) made four saves in the nightcap.
Arizona State and the Wolverines both came out firing in the first period, trading the lead on three occasions. Michigan found itself playing from behind just a minute into the contest, but the deficit did not last long as junior Sharayah Hernandez(Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) found the back of the net from seven meters out to make the score 1-1 with 4:22 left in the opening frame. Junior Mary Chatigny(Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) sandwiched goals around an Arizona penalty-shot goal that marked a flurry of scoring in the two minutes following Hernandez's goal.
The second frame paralleled the frantic pace of the first one, with Arizona State creating the first two-goal lead of the night. Addison McGrath and Amanda Stepp scored two minutes apart to give the Sun Devils a 5-3 lead. The Wolverines clawed back to within one 19 seconds later on a power-play goal from Mantel. The Michigan freshman took a pass inside two-meters and fired the ball past a lunging Caylinn Wallace.
The game turned from back-and-forth scoring to a goalie showdown with each netminder making crucial saves thoughout the final two stanzas. Holding on to a 6-4 lead off a McGrath penalty-shot goal late in the second frame, ASU endured a nine-shot onslaught from the Wolverines. Michigan threw all it could at the Sun Devils in the stanza, but Wallace heated up coming out of the break and stopped all comers. While the U-M offense was peppering the ASU cage, the Wolverine defense stood strong and allowed only two low-percentage shots in the period.
Michigan tried to carry the momentum of its offensive attack into the final frame, but an Arizona State goal with five minutes left put the game out of reach. The Wolverines scored their lone second-half marker with 2:26 remaining to make the score 7-5 on Felt's penalty shot into the upper right corner. The teams battled furiously through the waning minutes of the game, but ASU was able to stave off the Wolverine attack.
Michigan jumped out to a quick lead in its first game of the day, scoring just 15 seconds into the first period. The Wolverines added five more goals in remaining eight minutes. Coming off the power play, Sarah Roberts(Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) tacked on the first marker of her career when she grabbed a cross-pool pass and one-timed a shot into the back of the net.
The second period started much the same way, with Hyrne leading the charge with a pair of goals in the span. The Maize and Blue controlled the tempo, carrying a 12-1 lead into halftime.
With the game in hand midway through the third period, Morgan Rosentreter(Okemos, Mich./Okemos) took over in goal for U-M. The freshman relieved Gero, who allowed one goal in 20-plus minutes of work.
Mantel added another goal off a penalty shot to kick off the final quarter, putting her team up 15-3. Colorado State and U-M traded goals throughout the period, but Roberts' second goal of the game capped off the scoring to give U-M the 16-5 final advantage.
The Wolverines head right back into the pool Sunday (Jan. 27) for day two of the Michigan Kick-Off at Canham Natatorium. Michigan will take on No. 14 UC-San Diego at 9:10 a.m. and No. 7 San Jose State at 12:40 p.m. to round out its portion of the invitational schedule.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| Colorado State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||||
| #18 Michigan | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| #11 Arizona State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||||
| #18 Michigan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
