Michigan
Loyola Marymount
Wolverines Finish Fourth at Triton Invitational
2/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Feb. 13, 2011
• Game Summaries | Quotes
Site: San Diego, Calif. (Triton Pool)
Event: UCSD Triton Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
Scores: #6 Loyola Marymount 10, #7 Michigan 7; #9 San Diego State 14, #7 Michigan 12
Records: U-M (10-4), Loyola Marymount (7-1), San Diego State (8-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 26 -- at Colorado State (Fort Collins, Colo.), Noon MST
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team had to settle for a fourth-place finish after losing to No. 6-ranked Loyola Marymount, 10-7, and No. 9-ranked San Diego State, 14-12, on Sunday (Feb. 13) on day two of the UCSD Triton Invitational at the Triton Pool.
Sophomore Lauren Colton (Tustin, Calif./Tesoro) scored five goals on the day to lead the Maize and Blue effort. Senior Alison Mantel (Miami, Fla./Gulliver) tallied her second playmaker (three assists) of the tournament in the third-place game.
Sophomore Alex Adamson (Coronado, Calif./Coronado) made 10 saves against LMU and added another against SDSU, while junior Morgan Turner (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills) posted four saves in the nightcap.
Michigan and Loyola Marymount entered the final frame tied at 6-6. The Wolverines held a pair of two-goal leads in the first half, going up 4-2 in the first on a goal from freshman Audrey Pratt (Burlingame, Calif./Burlingame) and again at 5-3 when senior Keller Felt (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) found classmate Lauren Orth (Poway, Calif./Poway) for a skip-shot goal. LMU broke the fourth-period stalemate with four straight goals to open the period and take control of the contest.
The third-place game was a tale of two halves as the Wolverines rebounded from a 9-5 halftime deficit to pull back to within one in an ill-fated comeback. Five different Michigan attackers found the back of the cage in the third period to bring the Maize and Blue back to an 11-10 game. Colton scored two of her three second-half goals in the final period, but the Aztecs staved off the Wolverines and claimed third place.
The Wolverines will next travel to Colorado State for a pair of noon MST contests Feb. 26-27 in Fort Collins, Colo.
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Loyola Marymount | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Michigan | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
LMU Goals: Kiara Cerda 3, Erin Manke 3, Casey Flacks 2, Kristin Benedetti, Mary Ann Campos.
Saves: U-M 10 (Alex Adamson), LMU 20 (Kristine Cato)
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
| San Diego State | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
SDSU Goals: Amber Pezzolla 5, Leanne Ford 2, Alana Burgess, Alex Ford, Ronni Gautschi, Kimmy Keach, Jenna Natalizio, Ashley Novack, Meaghan Poland.
Saves: U-M 5 (Morgan Turner 4, Alex Adamson 1), SDSU 8 (Kelly Campoli)
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the defense ... "Against LMU, they were 3-for-12, scored penalty (shot) and missed a penalty (shot); we went 1-for-10, scored one and missed one. Those two extra goals are the difference. Three-for-12 is good on defense, but 1-for-10 is better. We had our chances against them. They are a good team but that game showed we need to work on our offensive power play. Against San Diego State, neither team wanted to play defense. Our problem was that we let them get up five on us. We can score against anyone; we have to show we can play better defense. Michigan water polo is about selling out on defense. Neither coach is happy about their defense, but they won. We worked so hard on defense yesterday for the shutout, we need to remember that today is a new day and you can't stop focusing on it."
On the offense ... "We had a good weekend offensively, I don't want that to get lost. Obviously, Lauren Colton played really well offensively. In general, we were creating power-play opportunities and creating chances. As a coach, I don't want to have to outscore teams to win, I want to coach defense. We will get back to focusing on that and hopefully things will be fine the rest of the year."
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
