Michigan Cruises Past Cal Baptist, Azusa Pacific to Start Season 3-0

Saturday, January 14

Phoenix, Ariz.

9:00 AM MT

Michigan

2-0

California Baptist

1-2

California Baptist

Michigan

Kata Utassy (U-M Athletic Communications)

Michigan Cruises Past Cal Baptist, Azusa Pacific to Start Season 3-0

1/14/2023 3:39:00 PM | Water Polo

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Boxscore (Cal Baptist)PDF Boxscore (Azusa Pacific)

By: Bridgette Underwood

» Kata Utassy led all players on the day with eight goals, three against CBU and five against APU.
» The Wolverines outscored Cal Baptist and Azusa Pacific 34-11.
» Three Wolverines earned hat tricks in the first game against Cal Baptist -- Utassy, Lola Ciruli and Elise Walker.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated Cal Baptist 16-5 and Azusa Pacific 18-6 on Saturday (Jan. 14) at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex to wrap up the second day of the ASU Cross Conference Challenge. With the wins, the Wolverines move to 3-0 to start the season.

Game 1: #7 Michigan 16, Cal Baptist 5

The Maize and Blue kicked off its second game of the ASU Cross Conference Challenge with four goals in the first quarter. The first came from Erin Neustrom just 1:17 into the contest. Sammi Monroe found the back of the net after a cross-pool pass from Kata Utassy to go up 2-0 over Cal Baptist (1-2). Utassy and Ava Morrant added two more goals before the end of the first to pull ahead 4-2.

Michigan did not hold back in the second quarter, scoring twice in the first minute, the first from Neustrom and the second from Lola Ciruli. The Lancers found the back of the net once in the second quarter, but the Michigan offensive attack was just too much. U-M went on to find the back of the net three more times in the quarter thanks to Morrant and two goals by Utassy, who earned the first hat trick of the game, giving Michigan a 9-3 advantage at the half.

Alex Brown came up big in the third quarter, not allowing a single ball to reach the net. The Wolverine offense scored three times, one from Elise Walker and two from Ciruli, claiming U-M's second hat trick of the game.

In the final quarter, Michigan kept pushing forward, adding four more goals and only surrendering two to give the Wolverines the win. The final four gals for U-M came from Ciruli, Ashley O'Neill and Walker, who earned the third hat trick for the Wolverines.

Game 2: #7 Michigan 18, Azusa Pacific 6

The Wolverines picked up in the second game of the day where they left off in the first, scoring six times in the first quarter against Azusa Pacific (0-2). Utassy dominated the first quarter, scoring a hat trick and ending the game with five goals. Ciruli, Neustrom and Brooke Ingram each added one goal to pull ahead 6-2 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Wolverines tacked on six more goals, while APU scored only three. Walker, Libby Alsemgeest, Neustrom, Utassy, and Sophie Tovani each netted a goal to take a seven-point lead heading into the second half.

In the final half of play, U-M scored another six times while Asuza Pacific could muster just one. Madie Ambrose held the Cougars to the one goal in the second half and had a shutout going after three quarters. Michigan cruised to the win to move to 3-0 on the season.

The Wolverines will finish their stay at the ASU Cross Challenge Classic on Sunday (Jan. 15) at 9 a.m. MST when they battle host No. 10 Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. The game will be streamed live on Pac12.com.