Michigan
Saint Francis
Wolverines Win Two for Trio of Seniors
4/14/2018 9:26:00 PM | Water Polo
» Michigan finished the regular season with a 29-8 record.
» Senior Christina O'Beck scored four goals on Senior Night.
» Freshman Brittany Prentice posted five goals and an assist against Saint Francis.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Scores:Â #10Â Michigan 19, Saint Francis (Pa.) 2; #10Â Michigan 10, #16 Hartwick 9
Records: U-M (29-8, 7-1 CWPA), Saint Francis (12-16, 0-8 CWPA), Hartwick (28-10, 5-3 CWPA)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., April 27-29 -- at CWPA Championship (Lewisburg, Pa.)
• Photo Gallery vs. Hartwick
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10 University of Michigan water polo team honored its three seniors with a pair of victories on Senior Night to close out the regular season at Canham Natatorium on Saturday (April 14). The Wolverines defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 10-2, in the first game of of the day then defeated No. 16-ranked Hartwick, 10-9, in the finale.
Seniors Caroline Anderson, Laura Jimenez and Christina O'Beck were recognized prior to the final game of the day and all played pivotal roles as they ended their careers with a 23-4 record inside Canham.
Anderson tallied two goals, four assists and five steals; Jimenez scored a goal with four steals; and O'Beck had five goals to help the Wolverines win their final two regular-season games.
U-M ends the regular season with a 29-8 record and 7-1 mark in the Collegiate Water Polo Association. The Wolverines have won 22 of their last 23 games.
Game 1: No. 10 Michigan 19, Saint Francis 2
Despite missing two starters, the Wolverines fired on all cylinders against Saint Francis with 19 goals in the game. U-M had several team members come off the bench to make a difference in the game.
Freshman Brittany Prentice was the catalyst, coming off the bench to score a season-high five goals to go with one assist. She notched four of her five goals in the first half and was unstoppable in the post for U-M. Her five goals came on five shots.
Junior Delaney Cleveland was also a strong contributor off the bench as she matched a career high with five assists and had three steals on the defensive end.
The bench tallied 10 goals and nine assists in the game, but the starters were also very effective. Junior Kim Johnson had two goals and four assists, junior Julia Sellers had her fourth hat trick in the last five games, and Anderson chipped in two goals, two assists and three steals.
All three goalkeepers saw playing time. Sophomore Heidi Ritner started the game and shut out the Red Flash in the first half while making three saves. Sophomore Cameron Cordial played 10:30 minutes with two saves and freshman Sara Campbell closed out the game with three saves in the final 5:30 minutes.
Game 2: No. 10 Michigan 10, No. 16 Hartwick 9
Senior Night is special as they are presented flowers and special recognition prior to suiting up one final time in the home pool.
Michigan's three seniors made the most of their last time at Canham and got some help from their teammates as they won a tight battle with No. 16 Hartwick, 10-9.
O'Beck started both games on Saturday and came up big for the Wolverines. With the score tied at 1, she sent an impressive backhand past the goalkeeper. She followed with another goal to start the second quarter -- this time fighting a defender off the back to go and get the ball, turn and score. She matched her career high with her third goal in the third period for her sixth career hat trick to make it 8-5.
Hartwick cut the lead to one goal, 9-8, midway through the fourth period and that was when O'Beck made her biggest play of the game. The ball went inside, she flipped it up in the air with her left hand to avoid the goalkeeper steal and then punched it in past over the goalkeeper's head for her career-high fourth goal. That score made it 10-8 with 2:36 to play and would be the difference in the game.
Fellow seniors Anderson and Jimenez also contributed to the win. Anderson had two assists and two steals, while Jimenez also had a steal.
The seniors also saw their teammates step up. Sellers had another hat trick, her 13th of the season, to push her over the 100-point mark for the year. The backline of the defense was particularly impressive as sophomore Maddy Steere had four steals to go with a goal and an assist, and Ritner tallied eight saves and five steals. U-M held Hartwick's two top goal scorers to just one goal each.
Michigan will next compete at the CWPA Championship in two weeks. The conference championship will be played April 27-29 on the campus of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
