Michigan
Cal State-San Bernardino
Wolverines Easily Beat Coyotes, Lose to No. 18 Anteaters
2/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. -- The No. 11 University of Michigan women's water polo team split its two games today (Saturday, Feb. 22) with a 10-3 win over Cal State-San Bernardino and an 8-5 loss to No. 18 UC Irvine. Michigan (4-6) recorded a season-high 15 steals in the game against CSUSB and Julie Nisbet (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) scored her first hat trick of the season and the sixth of her career against the Coyotes. Sheetal Narsai (Commerce, Calif./Bell Gardens HS) connected on two penalty shots to lead the Wolverines in the loss to UCI.
Michigan got out of the gates quickly in its game against CSUSB. The Wolverines held a 3-0 advantage after the first period and increased the lead to 5-0 by halftime. U-M gave a staunch defensive effort in the first half as only four shots made their way to goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) and she saved them all.
The Wolverines continued their strong play in the third quarter with three more goals in the period. It took the Coyotes until the fourth period to get the ball past the Michigan goal and they went on to score three goals in the final stanza, but by that time the game was out of reach. Six Wolverines notched two steals each in the victory and Jo Antonsen (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura HS) and Meg Knudtsen (Los Altos, Calif./St Francis HS) each handed out a pair of assists. Armstrong finished the game with four steals, only playing the first half. Stephanie Bongiovi-Hogner (Miami, Fla./Palmetto HS) finished out the game in net, setting career highs with 14 minutes and four saves.
The Wolverines did not fare as well against UCI, falling 8-5 in the nightcap. The Anteaters struck first, gaining a 1-0 advantage early in the first quarter off of a six-on-five advantage. Michigan tied the game on Narsai's first penalty shot of the game, but with 3:45 remaining in the opening period UCI converted another power play to regain its one-goal lead. U-M tied the game 28 seconds later, but once again UCI was able to take the lead and then with 49 seconds left in the quarter gained a 4-2 advantage. The teams played to a stalemate for much of the second quarter. The Anteaters scored the lone goal in the period on the power play, leaving the Wolverines with a 5-2 deficit at halftime.
Michigan continued to struggle throughout the third quarter. UCI was able to increase its lead to a game-high four goals as the Anteaters outscored the Wolverines 3-2 in the period to take an 8-4 lead into the final frame. Michigan's comeback bid came quickly in the fourth quarter, scoring its third penalty shot of the game with 6:42 left to make the score 8-5. The comeback attempt would prove to fall short, however, as neither team was able to add any offense for the remainder of the game.
Michigan will have two days off before it travels to Long Beach, Calif., to take on the fourth-ranked 49ers of Long Beach State. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. PST at the Campus Pool.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Cal State-San Bernardino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Michigan Goals: Julie Nisbet 3, Stephanie Morse, Jo Antonsen, Casey Kerney, Abbi Rowe, Rachel Burkons, Meg Knudtsen, Jineane Shibuya. CSUSB Goals: Sarah Reneker 2, Third Goal Unknown. Ejections: Michigan 3, CSUSB 5.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| UC Irvine | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
Michigan Goals: Sheetal Narsai 2, Jo Antonsen, Julie Nisbet, Melissa Goldberg. UC Irvine Goals: Erica Horman 4, Rebecca Wedemeyer 2, Karly Tivenan. Ejections: Michigan 8, UCI 6.
N O T E S
Julie Nisbet scored her first hat trick of the season against CSUSB. It is the sixth hat trick of Nisbet's career.
Casey Kerney (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park HS) extended her goal-scoring streak to nine games against CSUSB but had the streak snapped against UCI.
Melissa Goldberg (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis HS) scored her first goal as a Wolverine on a penalty shot against UCI.
Stephanie Bongiovi-Hogner played a career-high 14 minutes against CSUSB and recorded a career-best four saves.
Kristin Hoogenboom (Portland, Ore./Sunset HS) recorded the first two steals of her career against CSUSB.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the game against Cal State-San Bernardino ... "We missed some opportunities on the counterattack but it was a fast-paced game and we got out early on them. We played very well defensively. It was a good way to start the day."
On the game against UC Irvine ... "Defensively we were not there tonight. We should not give up eight goals to anybody. We got in some early foul trouble in the first quarter, and it was the first time we had to deal with that this year. They really took advantage of that, scoring early on their six-on-five opportunities."
On what the team needs to do to be successful for the remainder of the trip ..."We need to refocus. We have to understand that we are not going to win games against West Coast teams with our offense. We have to make it hard for the other team with our defense and not get in a firestorm with the other team. We are going to win games by playing defense."
Contact: Paul Dickerson, Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
