Michigan
UC Santa Barbara
Michigan Places Eighth Out of 16 at Triton Invitational
2/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team lost both games on Sunday (Feb. 11) on the final day of the Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatics Center. Michigan finished the invite in eighth place with a 1-3 record, losing to No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, 7-4, and No. 17 UC San Diego, 10-7.
Sophomore Kristen Davis (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) made 27 saves, and freshman Leah Robertson (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) recorded a team-high 19 steals in the weekend's four games. Senior Shana Welch's (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) four-game goal total of seven goals led all Michigan scorers in the tournament.
The Wolverines found themselves in a defensive battle against UC Santa Barbara. Robertson netted the only U-M marker in the first half when she converted on a counterattack to tie the score 1-1 six minutes into the second period, but the Gauchos tallied a score prior to the halftime buzzer and Michigan entered the half down, 3-1.
UC Santa Barbara extended its lead to 5-1 to begin the second half before Welch cut the lead to 5-2 on the power play. Sophomore Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) continued Michigan's comeback attempt with her 6-on-5 score to start the fourth quarter. However, UC Santa Barbara answered, scoring a pair of goals to seal the Wolverines' fate. Junior Michelle Keeley (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) scored on an outside shot with just over a minute remaining for Michigan's final tally in the 7-4 loss.
In the final game of the weekend against host UC San Diego, senior Wesley Ellison (Portola Valley, Calif./Palo Alto) scored out of two meters on Michigan's first possession to gain U-M an early 1-0 lead. That success was short-lived, however, as Michigan trailed 4-2 heading into the second period. Hyrne got on the scoresheet for the eighth straight game to start the second, cutting the lead to 4-3 as she buried an open shot on the power play two minutes in, but the Tritons extended the lead to 5-3 three minutes later and Michigan went into the half down two.
Welch's power-play tally was the only third-period score for the Wolverines, who allowed UC San Diego to head into the final quarter of play up 7-4. The Triton's added an eighth tally before Hyrne completed the hat trick, reeling off two straight scores to move the score to 8-6. Welch followed suit, netting her second score of the game on a 6-on-5 to cut the deficit to just one, but UC San Diego pulled away with two late scores and U-M went home with a 10-7 loss.
The Wolverines travel to College Park, Md., next week for the Terrapin Invitational Saturday-Sunday (Feb. 17-18) to take place at Maryland's Campus Recreation Center Natatorium. On the first day of action, U-M faces Princeton at 9:15 a.m. and Maryland at 6 p.m.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| No. 13 Michigan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| No. 16 UC Santa Barbara | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Scoring
U-M Goals: Leah Robertson, Julie Hyrne, Michelle Keeley, Shana Welch.
UCSB: Sarah Kovach 2, Amanda Tipton 2, Gillian Morgan, Christie Clark, Katlin Kubas.
U-M Goalkeeper: (Davis) 10 saves, one steal
Ejections: U-M 6, UCSB 10
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| No. 16 UC San Diego | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| No. 13 Michigan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Scoring
U-M Goals: Julie Hyrne 3, Shana Welch 2, Leah Robertson, Wesley Ellison.
UCSD: Lauren Woods 3, Nicole Hermann, Britta Nordstrom, Judy Emaus, Natalie Hockett, Sydney Gstettenbauer, Stephanie Bocian, Sarah Bajorek
U-M Goalkeeper: (Davis) six saves, three steals
Ejections: U-M 13, UCSD 7
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
