Wolverines Blank Rams After Near Upset of No. 5 Cal

Saturday, January 24

Ann Arbor, Mich.

10:45 AM

Michigan

California

1/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Michigan Kick-Off
Scores: #5 Cal 8, #10 Michigan 6; #10 Michigan 12, Colorado State 0
Record: U-M (1-1); Cal (1-0); CSU (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 25 -- vs. #7 San Jose State, 10:10 a.m.; vs. #3 UCLA, 2:30 p.m. - Michigan Kick-Off (Canham Natatorium)

Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan water polo team split the opening day of the Michigan Kick-Off, blanking Colorado State 12-0 after a come-from-behind upset bid came up short against No. 5-ranked California to the tune of an 8-6 loss on Saturday (Jan. 24) at Canham Natatorium.

Senior/junior goalkeeper Brittany May(Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) made six stops in the opener and another two in eight minutes of action during the combined shutout of Colorado State. Freshmen Tara Brigham(Baytown, Texas/Sterling), McKenna Farrar (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) and Morgan Turner(Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills) each tended the cage for one period to complete the third shutout in program history.

Senior Sharayah Hernandez(Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) was the big point-getter on the day, netting two goals and two assists. Freshman Meagan Cobb(Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) scored a hat trick against the Rams, while seniors Julie Hyrne(Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) and Mary Chatigny(Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) and sophomore Keller Felt (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) had three points each.

Michigan jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first stanza on goals from Hyrne, Reitz and Hernandez and a pair from Cobb. Junior Leah Robertson(Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) got things started with a steal at mid-pool, passing forward to Chatigny, who hustled to the ball in front of the net and passed to an open Hyrne on the far side. Following a goal from sophomore Cara Reitz(Miami, Fla./Gulliver), Cobb got her first goal of the night off a rebound. She then scored again inside the final minute off a feed from Hernandez, who scored a goal of her own 30 seconds later.

A minute into the second period, junior Terri Bukofzer(Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson) scored from 12 meters out with seconds left on the shot clock. Frost followed with two goals before Felt tagged on another marker. Brigham kept the momentum alive by calmly steering away a penalty shot with her left hand with 3:20 remaining. Michigan then converted on a five-meter shot of its own off the hand of senior Carrie Stover(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) to close out the first-half flurry.

The scoring calmed in the second half with Michigan outscoring the Rams by a 2-0 margin. Cobb completed the hat trick 1:23 into the third quarter. Freshman Claire Ivry(Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) created the scoring chance with a shot from in close that careened off the goalkeeper and the crossbar before settling on the hand of a wide-open Cobb, who simply deposited the ball into the cage. Farrar was also tested on a penalty throw but simply had to watch the attempt harmlessly skip wide of the net. In the final period, Felt got her second goal of the game, skipping a ball along the water and into the net.

In the opener, the Wolverines mounted a second-half comeback, pulling to within two goals of Cal, the nation's fifth-ranked team. After stumbling out of the gates and finding themselves down 5-0 in the first half, Michigan took control of play after the break. A mere 18 seconds after Cal extended its lead on a penalty shot, Mantel connected on a cross-pool pass from Hyrne to put the Wolverines on the board. The two teams alternated scoring with Hernandez sandwiching a goal between two Golden Bears' scores to end the period down 8-2.

In the final stanza, Michigan took full control of the game, scoring four unanswered goals to end the contest. Sophomore Lauren Orth(Poway, Calif./Poway), who had been inserted in the game to start the fourth quarter, was called upon to take a five-meter penalty shot. Orth slammed a ball off the water and into the back of the cage, pulling the Maize and Blue to within five.

With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines began to put the screws to the Cal defense and found pay dirt with 2:40 left when Reitz took a pass from Hernandez down low and lobbed it into the net. The frantic pace continued and an alert Robertson took advantage of a Golden Bears' offensive turnover and took it the length of the pool, slowing up and pushing a shot over the netminder to make it an 8-5 game.

May kept the momentum in the Wolverines favor, turning aside a penalty throw with 41 seconds left on the clock. At the other end of the pool, freshman Megan Mulder(Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) threaded a pass from the point to Chatigny down low on the left side where the senior put the final dent in Cal's lead before time ran out.

The Wolverines will play twice on Sunday (Jan. 25) on day two of the Michigan Kick-Off at Canham Natatorium. Michigan will take on No. 7 San Jose State at 10:10 a.m. and the defending national champions, No. 3 UCLA, at 2:30 p.m.

GAME SUMMARIES

Game 1	1	2	3	4	F
#5 California	3	2	3	0	8
#10 Michigan	0	0	2	4	6

Cal Goals: Emily Csikos 2, Remy Champion, Julie Oreglia, Laura Wood, Meghan Corso, Stephanie Schnugg, Athina Vazos.
U-M Goals: Alison Mantel, Mary Chatigny, Leah Robertson, Cara Reitz, Lauren Orth, Sharayah Hernandez.
Saves: U-M 5 (Brittany May), Cal 9 (Lauren Burke 8; Elizabeth Layton 1)
Ejections: U-M 8, Cal 12