Michigan
Wagner
Wolverines Defeat Santa Clara, Wagner at Fluid Five
3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center)
Event: Fluid Five
Scores: #12 Michigan 12, Wagner 6; #12 Michigan 6, #19 Santa Clara 5
Records: U-M (24-9), Wagner (10-8), Santa Clara (12-7)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., April 12-13 -- at Terrapin Tournament (College Park, Md.)
Notes & Quotes
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan water polo team swept through its two-game slate at the Fluid Five, knocking off Wagner by a 12-6 count and edging No. 19 Santa Clara 6-5 on Saturday (March 29) at Indiana University's Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Wolverines extend their program-best winning streak to 18 games.
Freshman Lauren Orth(Poway, Calif./Poway) struck for four goals in the opening contest and added a fifth against Santa Clara. Junior Julie Hyrne(Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) netted a hat trick in the evening game to go with a pair of helpers in the opener. Freshman Alison Mantel(Miami, Fla./Gulliver) had a playmaker against the Santa Clara Broncos to go with a goal and an assist against the Seahawks.
Getting just her second start in the cage this season, sophomore Terri Bukofzer(Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson) made 10 saves, including three blocks on the penalty kill, against Wagner. In the nightcap, Brittany May(Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) turned aside two shots and had a steal as she held her third straight ranked opponent to five goals.
The Wolverines were headed into the first intermission with 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of Hyrne goals from inside two meters, but Santa Clara scored with all zeros on the clock to cut the U-M lead in half. Hyrne scored a skip shot at 4:15 and again from the same spot on a hard drive at 1:21 to build the early lead.
The teams exchanged markers in the second period as U-M generated a 4-2 lead at halftime. After having her initial shot rebounded by junior Mary Chatigny(Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs), junior Carrie Frost(Saline, Mich./Saline) got a second chance at the goal when Chatigny hit the crossbar. The rebound came right to Frost, who skipped a shot from four meters. After a Santa Clara response, the Maize and Blue got its own last-second goal. With three seconds left in the half, Orth got a chance from the left side that she floated into the cage.
Santa Clara once again scored first in the third. Sophomore Leah Robertson(Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) floated a shot from four meters only to have the Broncos strike again. Hyrne recorded the hat trick -- and what proved to be the game-winner -- at 4:23 in the third stanza. Battling to create an opportunity, Hyrne broke free and got off a shot that found the back of the cage.
The Broncos chipped at the Wolverine lead with 3:29 left, scoring to pull to within 6-5. Bukofzer came close to icing the game with just over a minute left. The sophomore, who played in her natural two-meter defense position, generated a steal at mid-pool to set up a mad dash toward the net. With only one pursuer and the goalie to beat, Bukofzer lined up a shot that was heading toward the left corner, only to meet the post and bounce wide. Michigan maintained a strong defensive posture in the last minutes to hold on to the victory.
Michigan mounted a relentless attack against Wagner in the first game, building a 7-3 lead in the first half. Within the opening minute of the game, senior Michelle Keeley(Rockford, Mich./Rockford) had generated two shots of her own and one for a teammate thanks to a pair of rebounds. Despite this early onslaught, it was Wagner that scored first, denting the twine on its first trip down the pool. The Wolverines responded a minute later with a 6-on-5 marker from Mantel at two meters. Freshman Sarah Roberts(Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) gave U-M the lead at 4:29, shaking a defender at two meters to create the shot. Mantel scored again to close out the first frame with a 3-1 Michigan advantage.
The lead grew when Keeley drew a penalty shot a minute into the second stanza. Orth was summoned from the bench to take the shot and delivered the goal on a high skip into the top of the cage. Robertson netted the first of her two markers 31 seconds later on a pass from Sharayah Hernandez(Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho). Wagner scored two of the next three goals, sandwiching markers around a goal from Orth. Michigan once again closed out the frame's scoring, getting a breakaway goal from Robertson with 36 seconds remaining in the half.
Bukofzer was called upon to stop three chances in the third period and blanked the Seahawks, stifling all comers. Orth was the lone goal scorer of the period, picking up a pair of markers off passes from junior Carrie Stover(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer). Stover picked up a steal in the Wagner end and passed to Orth at seven meters. With a moment of hesitation, Orth drew the goalie out of position and tossed the ball easily into the back of the cage. She struck again with 38 seconds remaining the frame, letting go a laser into the upper part of the cage to deliver a 9-3 lead for the Wolverines.
U-M's response to Wagner ending its scoring drought at 6:47 came quickly off the hand of sophomore Farren Rixter(Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick), who hit the back of the cage on Michigan's next possession. Felt scored twice in the next minute and a half to put the game out of reach. Her first marker came on a five-meter penalty, coming off the bench to make the deposit. She scored again on a pass from Rixter at four meters, using a defensive deflection to hit the back of the cage. Wagner rattled off two goals in the waning minutes, but it was not enough to overcome the lead Michigan had established.
The Maize and Blue will have a week off before concluding the regular season at the Terrapin Tournament onApril 12-13in College Park, Md.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| Wagner | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||||
| #12 Michigan | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||||
| #19 Santa Clara | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| #12 Michigan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
