Michigan
California (ex)
Michigan Places Sixth at Collegiate Cup
11/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» Dr. Marcelo Leonardi coached the USA Youth National Team, while assistant coach Sydney Sonoda led the Wolverines in the first game of the day.
» Freshman goalkeeper Heidi Ritner was in the cage with the USA Youth National Team against her teammates at U-M.
» Freshman Maddy Steere scored five goals against the USA Youth National Team.
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Avery Aquatic Center)
Event: USA Water Polo Collegiate Cup (Day 2)
Scores: USA Youth National Team 16, Michigan 10 (exhibition); Cal 14, Michigan 7 (exhibition)
Next U-M Event: January 20-22 at the UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif.
STANFORD, Calif. -- The University of Michigan water polo team placed sixth at the USA Water Polo Collegiate Cup after falling to the USA Youth National Team and Cal on Sunday (Nov. 6) at Avery Aquatic Center.
The first game of the day made an interesting matchup as Michigan head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi was also the head coach of the team's opponent the USA Youth National Team, and U-M freshman goalkeeper Heidi Ritner was the starter in the cage as well. With the Youth World Championships coming up in December, the two ended up competing against the Wolverines on Sunday.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Sydney Sonoda coached Michigan in the game, and senior goalkeeper Emily Browning earned the start in goal.
After four goals yesterday (Saturday, Nov. 4), freshman Maddy Steere continued her impressive U-M start with a five-goal game against the USA Youth National Team. Senior captain Allison Skaggs recorded three goals on the day as well as sophomore Kim Johnson. Freshman Skyler Pyle scored her first two goals in a Michigan uniform.
The Wolverines' two losses put them in sixth place at the tournament.
Game 1: USA Youth National Team 16, Michigan 10
Browning got the start in the cage against her fellow goalkeeper Ritner, while junior Katherine Moore started the second half for U-M.
There was a lot of familiarity in the pool as both Leonardi and Ritner knew the Wolverines' plays, while the Michigan squad was very familiar with play-calling tendencies of Leonardi and how Ritner likes to operate in goal.
That familiarity showed early as the two teams were tied 2-2 after the first quarter. Michigan built a 6-4 lead in the second quarter with Steere notching a hat trick midway through the period. The USA National Team used a 3-0 run and five-meter penalty shot right before halftime to take an 8-7 lead.
The Youth National Team came out firing in the second half. Including the last goal of the second quarter, USA went on a 6-0 run, before Steere stopped the run with her fourth goal.
Michigan started the fourth quarter with two straight goals, including the fifth by Steere, but that was all U-M mustered as the Youth National Team closed out the 16-10 victory.
Game 2: Cal 14, Michigan 7
Ritner was back in goal for Michigan in this one. She faced a barrage of shots in the first quarter, making seven saves to hold Cal to a 2-1 lead.
Johnson scored two goals in the second quarter, including one on a long heave from mid-pool. However, the pivotal point in the game came when the Golden Bears scored at the last second heading into halftime to build a 5-3 advantage.
Cal's offensive was juiced after the late goal and racked up six goals in the third period, including four straight to start things off. With an 11-5 lead, the deficit was too large for the Wolverines and the final ended up being 14-7.
Ritner finished with 10 saves, while Caroline Anderson had one goal, four assists and two steals. Johnson had two goals and one assist.
With the four exhibition games under their belt, Michigan will return to eight-hour practice weeks and spend the next month closing out the fall semester academically. The regular season will begin Jan. 20-22 at the UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, California.
