Michigan
Brown
Michigan Sweeps Elite Six With Pair of Day Two Wins
3/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: College Park, Md. (Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium)
Event: Elite Six Tournament (Day 2)
Scores: #12 Michigan 19, Brown 12; #12 Michigan 7, #18 Princeton 6
Records: U-M (12-9)
Next U-M Event: Saturday-Sunday, March 8-9 --CWPA League Games(Erie, PA.)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It was a tale of two decidedly different mentalities as the University of Michigan water polo team swept day two of the Elite Six Tournament on Sunday (March 2) at the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium. The Wolverines started the day with a win in an offensive showdown, downing Brown by a 19-12 tally. The mindset shifted to the defensive end of the pool as U-M clamped down in a 7-6 victory over No. 18 Princeton.
Sophomore Kimberly Gero(Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) got the start against Brown and turned in a four save effort. Junior Brittany May(Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) tended the nets during the late game, stopping five shots.
Junior Julie Hyrne(Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) found the back of the net five times to lead the Maize and Blue offense. Junior Mary Chatigny(Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) and sophomore Leah Robertson(Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) registered four goals on the day.
In a battle of two ranked teams, Michigan turned to a strong defensive effort led by Robertson who recorded four steals. The two squads battled into the break tied at 5-5 in a frantic opening half thanks in part to a hat trick from Hyrne. Both team's buckled down in the second half, with May making crucial saves to keep the Tigers off of the board in the third and giving the Wolverines a narrow one-goal margin into the final stanza.
Princeton was able to knot things at 6-6 early in the fourth period. With overtime looming in just 59 seconds, freshman Alison Mantel(Miami, Fla./Gulliver) caught the Tiger defense dropping and let a shot fly from seven meters. Her blast found the upper corner of the cage and delivered U-M the weekend sweep.
Taking on Brown in the early game, Michigan put a strong emphasis on scoring goals -- posting the second-highest total this season. The Wolverines jumped out to a 5-2 lead but the Bears were able to chip away at Michigan, pulling to within one goal heading into halftime.
Michigan came out of the break and fired off seven goals in third period, getting plentiful minutes and goals from the likes of junior Carrie Frost(Saline, Mich./Saline) and freshman Lauren Orth(Poway, Calif./Poway).
The Maize and Blue will head to Erie, PA. on Saturday (Mar. 7) to open the CWPA League Games. Washington & Jefferson is first on the slate at 9 a.m. followed by Grove City at 3 p.m. and Slippery Rock at 6 p.m.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| #12 Michigan | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 19 | ||||
| Brown | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| #12 Michigan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||
| #18 Princeton | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On thescoring in game one... "The girls decided that they wanted to play offense. I mean, 19-12, I haven't been involved in a game like that in years. It was nice because some girls got an opportunity to get in -- like Lauren Orth who got a couple of goals, Keller Felt got a couple of goals. They were just excited that they got to play, so they just really pushed the pace very well."
On the different mentality in game two "We had a little talk (after the first game) about wanting to beat a very good Princeton team and that we had to play some defense. We stepped it up and played defense like we did the first day (of the tournament). That was the difference. To give up six or less goals against three very good east coast teams was the reason why we went 4-0 this weekend."
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
