Michigan
Indiana
Seniors End Canham Career with Big Win over No. 22 Indiana
3/23/2019 12:30:00 PM | Water Polo
» Michigan honored seniors Delaney Cleveland, Kim Johnson and Julia Sellers prior to the game.
» Wolverines finish the season with a 5-0 home record.
» Seniors combine for five goals and two assists in the win.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Senior Day
Score: #6 Michigan 16, #22 Indiana 8
Records: U-M (15-8), IU (5-13)
Next U-M Event: April 6-7 -- vs. Saint Francis, Brown and Princeton (Boston, Mass.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Saturday, March 23, will be a memorable day for the 2019 University of Michigan water polo seniors as they defeated No. 22 Indiana, 16-8, in their final home game at Canham Natatorium.
Seniors Delaney Cleveland, Kim Johnson and Julia Sellers were honored prior to the game. Johnson and Sellers would go on to make a big impact, combining for five goals, two assists, four drawn exclusions, three steals and two field blocks. Sellers picked up her fifth hat trick in the last seven games to become the seventh player in school history with 200 career goals. Johnson's two goals give her 209 in her career.
The seniors weren't the only ones who played well. The entire team stepped up around them as three other players had hat tricks. Freshman Abby Andrews had another huge game, matching a season high with four goals to go with four assists. She has 30 points in her last five games with 12 goals and 18 assists. Junior Maddy Steere and sophomore Maddy Johnston each added three goals and two assists. The five points match a career high for Johnston.
The team was fired up to play for the seniors and busted out of the gate with the first four goals of the game. Michigan would tally six goals in the first six minutes and lead 6-2 after the first period. Seniors Johnson and Sellers each scored goals early and Andrews scored twice to help build the early advantage. Â
The game was more even in the second quarter with both teams scoring three goals. Sellers and Johnson each scored again to help U-M take a 9-5 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was all Michigan. The Wolverines scored four straight goals and played 7:47 minutes of shutout defense before Indiana scored with 17 seconds left in the period. Andrews added two more goals in the period and the 4-1 scoring advantage helped U-M extend its lead to 13-6.
Indiana added two goals in the fourth to cut the lead down to five, but Michigan finished the game on a 3-0 run to make the final score 16-8. The 16 goals were the most the Wolverines have ever scored against Indiana in the 56 games of the rivalry. The previous high was 13 in an overtime victory in 2015.
U-M finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 15-8 record, defeating 14 ranked opponents. The Wolverines improved to a perfect 5-0 at Canham Natatorium and are now 28-4 at home under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi.
The Wolverines will begin the CWPA Conference schedule April 6-7 when they travel to Boston, Massachusetts, to take on Saint Francis (Pa.), Brown and Princeton at Harvard University.
