Michigan
San Jose State
Wolverines Drop Battles against Top-10 Opponents at UCSB Invite
1/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Jan. 24, 2015
• Notes & Quotes
• Photo Galleries: SJSU 
| Cal
Site: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Campus Pool)
Event: UCSB Winter Invitational (Day 2)
Score: #7 San Jose State 7, #17 Michigan 5; #4 California 14, #17 Michigan 8
Records: U-M (1-2), SJSU (7-0), Cal (6-0)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 25 -- vs. UC San Diego - UCSB Winter Invitational (Santa Barbara, Calif.), 9:30 a.m. PST
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan water polo team dropped a pair of battles against top-10 opposition, falling to No. 7 San Jose State, 7-5, and No. 4 California, 14-8, on the second day of competition at the UCSB Winter Invitational on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24) at UC Santa Barbara's Campus Pool.
Six different Wolverines scored over the day's slate, including multi-goal efforts from four players, most notably junior Presley Pender, who scored four goals in the second game against the Golden Bears. Freshman Caroline Anderson netted two against SJSU, while senior Elizabeth Williams scored three on the day, including two against Cal, and added five assists. Junior Kelly Martin recorded a goal in each contest. All four also posted goals in yesterday's season opener.
Sophomore goalie Emily Browning earned the bulk of minutes in the Wolverine net, recording five saves against SJSU and six in the second half against Cal. Junior Julia Campbell started in goal against the Golden Bears and posted three stops in the first half.
The Wolverines hung with SJSU throughout the day's first game and pulled within one midway through the fourth quarter on a Williams five-meter penalty shot, but the Spartans responded less than a minute later with the contest's final offensive tally.
San Jose State twice built up three-goal advantages -- in the second and third quarters -- and both times Michigan cut the gap down to one. Anderson netted both of her goals in the third frame, scoring early and late, to narrow the Spartans' lead to 6-4 at the period's end.
Williams converted her five-meter penalty opportunity at the 3:47 mark in the fourth, but the Spartans quickly drew a kickout on their next possession and capitalized. Michigan could not convert on an exclusion of its own less than a minute later, and neither team scored over the final three minutes of the contest.
Michigan matched the Golden Bears goal-for-goal through a high-scoring first quarter and twice claimed the narrow lead on goals from junior/sophomore Bryce Beckwith midway through and Pender on a 6-on-5 in the waning seconds. Cal responded to the late goal, however, evening the score with 18 seconds remaining in the frame.
The Golden Bears surged in the second quarter with four unanswered goals and added two more in the third to pad their lead to 10-4. Williams converted a five-meter penalty shot -- her second of the day -- late in the third.
Cal scored two more early in the fourth quarter before the Wolverines netted three in a row, including two more from Pender in quick succession late in the game.
The Wolverines will wrap up their appearance at the UCSB Winter Invitational with two games tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 25), playing No. 13 UC San Diego at 9:30 a.m. PST and CSU Bakersfield at 1:15 p.m. PST at UC Santa Barbara's Recreation Center in Santa Barbara, California.
GAME SUMMARIES
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan (1-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| San Jose State (7-0) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
SJSU Goals: Cara Robinson 2, Rae Lekness 2, Victoria Smith, Kelli Leabo, Timi Molnar
Saves: U-M 5 (Emily Browning), SJSU N/A (Katelynn Thompson)
Ejections: U-M 10, SJSU 8
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan (1-0) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| California (6-0) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
Cal Goals: Dora Antal 4, Roser Tarrago 3, Sierra Smiley 3, Anna Illes 2, Emily Loughlin, Carla Carrega
Saves: U-M 9 (Julia Campbell 3, Emily Browning 6), Cal N/A (Madeline Trabucco)
Ejections: U-M 7, Cal 8
N O T E S
• With today's losses, U-M fell to 5-10 in the all-time series against San Jose State and 0-7 against California.
• The Wolverines played an exhibition game against California at the inaugural USA Water Polo Collegiate Cup, falling, 13-5.
• Senior Elizabeth Williams and junior Kelly Martin have scored in all three games this season.
• Junior Presley Pender owns a pair of multi-goal games this season. Her four-goal effort against Cal was one shy of her career best. She posted five goals last year at Sonoma State.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi
On today's first game ... "San Jose State was a winnable game. We were in it the entire time and had opportunities to tie the game and compete for a victory. I saw a lot of growth from game one yesterday to game two today, and I also saw a level of play that I didn't see in practice, which I feel can really only be established in games."
On the difference between U-M's games against Cal in the fall and today ... "Obviously in the fall, it's more of an exhibition, but we ended up losing 13-5 in the fall, and I think it was close to 7-1 at halftime. So, the margin was bigger. I felt that we competed today, and we closed the gap a little bit. They're still one of the elite teams. Looking at our performance, I think we got a little bit better. I feel like we've established what range we are in terms of level of play. I think we can compete with the teams ranked five through 20. Obviously, the next level that we're looking for in the coming years is to get to that top four. That's where we want to be. But for right now, if we're competing with teams that are ranked 7-10 or 7-12, then I think we'll be doing the right things."
On U-M's quick progression ... "My expectations are always high in terms of wanting to win games. But at this point, it's about teaching. There are certain things that we can't simulate in practice, just based on our depth. But when we get a chance to play No. 14, No. 7 and No. 4, we get a chance to see the true water polo players come out -- the gamers who elevate their game to the next level and can play at the highest level at NCAAs. That's what I found out. We're also just a couple steps behind in terms of understanding what's expected in every situation. I think with two more months of high-level games, we'll be able to play and understand every situation and close the gap on reaction. If it takes us two seconds to react to a play, it should take us no less than half a second to react, and we'll start to see the game three steps before it happens."
On spreading out the goal scoring ... "I'm hoping that the system provides an opportunity for people to capitalize on their scoring threats and ultimately give them confidence. That's something else I've noticed this weekend -- I've had to tell them that they can shoot the ball. There's a hesitation. In a lot of those instances, they're just overthinking, but there's also a lack of confidence. As a coach, I'm a big believer in feeling confident. If it's your shot, you've got to take it."
Contact: Leah Howard (763) 763-4423
