Michigan
Hawaii
Late Goals Spoil Michigan Comeback vs. No. 4 Hawaii
2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan womens water polo team came back from a 11-6 deficit to take a one-goal lead with a minute remaining, but allowed two late goals to fall 16-15 to No. 4 Hawaii Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 27) at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. Senior Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) sparked the comeback effort with a quartet of fourth-quarter goals to finish with seven scores and three assists in the contest, tying the school record for points. Sophomore Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) contributed a hat trick and sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Davis (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) made a career-high 11 saves.
The Wolverines fell quickly to begin the game 3-0 before battling back to tie the score in the second. Hyrne tallied two goals in the first, including a five-meter conversion, to help bring U-M into the 4-4 deadlock. After the two teams traded goals to a 5-5 score, Hawaii netted the next three goals to build an 8-5 lead. Sophomore Carrie Frost (Saline, Mich./Saline) then cut the deficit to 8-6 just before the half on a stellar backhand in the right post.
Despite the Rainbow Wahine extending their lead to 11-6 midway through the third, Michigan fought back; Welch began the comeback, scoring with three minutes remaining in the period. Hyrne then answered another Hawaii score, and freshman Farren Rixter (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) followed with a rocket from out deep on the power play with seconds remaining to allow the Maize and Blue to head into the final frame down 12-9.
Hawaii extended its again lead to 13-9 before the Wolverines scored six of the next seven goals to gain a 15-14 advantage with just more than a minute to play. Welch took over, scoring twice to spark the run and adding two more following a Wahine tally. Freshman Mary Chatigny (Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) struck with two minutes remaining to tie the score 14-14, and junior Michelle Keeley (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) completed the effort with a strong move out of two meters. The comeback was thwarted, as Hawaii converted on its 17th 6-on-5 attempt in the game, scoring with 14 seconds remaining to spoil Michigans resilient comeback effort. The Wolverines had a last-second half-court possession, but had the ball stolen; Hawaii escaped with the victory.
After taking the next two weeks off, Michigan returns home to host the Wolverine Invitational on March 17-18 in Canham Natatorium. The schedule has yet to be released.
GAME SUMMARY
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
| Hawaii | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
Scoring
U-M Goals: Shana Welch 7, Julie Hyrne 3, Carrie Frost, Mary Chatigny, Michelle Keeley, Farren Rixter, Wesley Ellison. UH Goals: Kelly Mason 4, Lisa van Raalte 4, Anna Sieprath 3, Angela Turnbull 2, Emily Cox, Kristy Bagnall, Amy Logan. U-M Goalkeeper: Kristen Davis (11 saves, 3 steals, 2 assists). Ejections: U-M 17, UH 9.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the game ... "We did not begin the game very aggressively and that allowed Hawaii to gain a lead. But its tough when you have to come to Hawaii and play in this environment, and play in their home pool where they have one of the best records in the history of college water polo at home. After the first couple of minutes, we started to play better and controlled the game from that point, scoring 13 goals over the last three periods. Unfortunately, defensively we allowed them to get a lot of second chances. We did a great job to come back and take the lead over the No. 4 team in the nation with a minute left. But Hawaii found a way to win and that is why in the past two years, they have been in the final four."
On the comeback ... "At the point we were down by five goals, I still felt that we were creating the chances, but it was just a matter of when we were going to break through and take over the game. Normally, a team doesnt feel that way down five goals, but I felt with the way we were playing, it was just a matter of time before they were not going to be able to defend us. We scored six out of seven goals to take the lead in the fourth and that was huge. But they got a rebound to tie and scored on their last possession with seconds left. I am proud of the team for going toe-to-toe with that team and to be that close to winning against the No. 4 team in the nation in Hawaii. That shows us how close we are to putting it all together."
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
