Michigan
Indiana
Michigan Claims Fourth at Eastern Championship
4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
PRINCETON, N.J. -- In a physical and high-intensity contest that featured 30 ejections and a dominating U-M offense, the No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team fell short against Indiana, 5-3, to claim fourth place Sunday (April 29) at the Eastern Championship, held at DeNunzio Pool. Sophomore Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) scored twice and senior Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) earned two assists. Both Hyrne and Welch -- who represented Michigan on the 2007 Eastern Championship All-Tournament second team -- finished the season with at least one point posted in all 40 games this season. Sophomore Sharayah Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rnacho) drew a program-record eight ejections.
Indiana scored early to take a 1-0 lead. U-M rebounded to earn four straight power-play chances but good shots did not result in any scores. Michigan's best chance came from sophomore Mary Chatigny (Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) who found herself wide-open in front but twice narrowly missed the cage.
In the second, the Wolverines once again earned an early 6-on-5 chance and did not capitalize. IU netted two more scores -- each coming one minute apart -- to build a 3-0 advantage. Michigan then turned up the pressure to score its first marker of the game on a power-play tally from freshman Terri Bukofzer (Vernon Hills, Calif./Stevenson) with just more than a minute to play. Sophomore Carrie Frost (Saline, Mich./Saline) was nearly rewarded for a great individual effort out of two meters but her backhand banged off the inside of the cross bar and out. Sophomore Kristen Davis (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) came up huge at the end of the half, stoning an IU player in front to keep the deficit at 3-1 heading into halftime.
Out of the half, the Wolverines continued to get the better with their offensive chances but once again found themselves snake bit. U-M had three early power-play opportunities and all three attempts found the bar. Michigan generated two more shots from close-in in the final minute of the period, but again could not find the back of the cage. Indiana was able to add to the lead and make the score 4-1 near the end of the third and the period ended with IU up by three.
U-M started its comeback in the fourth when Hyrne connected on the power play following a stellar feed from Hernandez, cutting the lead to 4-2. Hyrne was at it again minutes later when she poked a rebound into the cage to pull Michigan within one.
The Wolverines defense remained stout, but the offense continued to receive poor luck with posts and near misses. With three minutes remaining in the game, IU converted a five-meter penalty shot and despite peppering the Indiana cage with shots for the remainder of the game, Michigan could not complete the comeback and fell 5-3 to place fourth.
With the loss, Michigan's 2007 season came to an end. The CWPA Western Division Champions completed the season with a 24-16 record.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Indiana | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Scoring
U-M Goals: Julie Hyrne 2, Terri Bukofzer.
IU Goals: Brooke Zimmerman 3, Kristin Zernicke, Melissa Soria.
U-M Goalkeeper: Kristen Davis (5 saves, 1 steal)
Ejections: U-M 12, IU 18
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
2007 Eastern Championship All-Tournament Team
| FIRST TEAM Elizabeth Balassone, Brown Kirsten Hudson, Hartwick Elyse Colgan, Princeton Keri James, Hartwick Brooke Zimmerman, Indiana Karina Reyner, Princeton Natalie Kim, Princeton | SECOND TEAM Shana Welch, Michigan Julie Hyrne, Michigan Elizabeth Hopkins, Maryland Meagan Gins, Bucknell Melissa Soria, Indiana Caitlin Fahey, Brown Olivia Colebourne, Hartwick |
Most Valuable Player: Kirsten Hudson, Hartwick
Richard Hunkler Coach of the Year: Luis Nicolao, Princeton
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On graduating seniors Wesley Ellison and Shana Welch ... "It's bittersweet. Wesley Ellison and Shana Welch -- the top two in games played in Michigan water polo history -- are my first two recruits that are now leaving the program after having accomplished so much, both as a team and individually. It is sad to see them go. It is bittersweet in the sense that the excitement for the future of this team is extremely high. We had the youngest team at Easterns and for the age of our team, we played very, very well. It's exciting to know that Welsey and Shana laid the foundation for a great future for this team."
On the weekend ... "Overall, our final two opponents had 16 seniors combined on their teams and we had a total of two. We played two very veteran teams, and with our youth and nerves and excitement combined, we still had a strong tournament. The Princeton game was arguably our best game of the year; we just missed some shots that normally go in. It was a good learning experience and will only help us next year as we are very excited for what this program is capable of doing."
