Michigan
Brown
Wolverines Defeat Brown, No. 20 Harvard to Wrap League Weekend
4/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
April 12, 2015
• Quotes
Site: Princeton, N.J. (DeNunzio Pool)
Score: #15 Michigan 12, Brown 5; #15 Michigan 12, #20 Harvard 9
Records: U-M (15-11, 6-1 CWPA), Brown (17-14, 3-3 CWPA), Harvard (17-10, 4-2 CWPA)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 18 -- vs. Mercyhurst (Bloomington, Ind.), 2:20 p.m.
PRINCETON, N.J. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan water polo team closed out its first of two league weekends with a pair of wins, cruising past Brown, 12-5, before defeating No. 20 Harvard, 12-9, on Sunday afternoon (April 12) at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool.
Juniors Kelly Martin and Ali Thomason both recorded six goals on the day; Martin tallied a hat trick in each contest, while Thomason posted four goals in the finale against Harvard. Both Wolverines also added three assists today. Freshman Caroline Anderson posted three goals, including two against Brown, and eight assists -- four in each contest.
Junior goalkeeper Julia Campbell earned nine saves in the Wolverine cage through six quarters of play, including seven in a complete-game effort against the Crimson Tide. Sophomore Emily Browning also posted five stop in the second half against Brown.
The Wolverines struck quickly against Harvard, scoring on a 6-on-5 opportunity and five-meter penalty in the opening 75 seconds. Michigan took advantage of numerous power-play chances, going 10-for-17 in the contest. The Crimson Tide kept the score close through the first half, but Michigan surged ahead in the third, scoring twice early in the frame, including a pretty skip shot from Thomason, and another late in the frame.
Sophomore Heidi Moreland netted a 6-on-5 goal early in the fourth and despite a couple Harvard goals late in the contest, the Wolverines held on to wrap a 3-1 league weekend.
After a slow offensive start against Brown, featuring several hit posts, the Wolverines found their groove with a pair of goals late in the first quarter before surging with three tallies on their first three possessions of the second, including two in a row from sophomore Allison Skaggs at two meters. Thomason similarly scored on back-to-back U-M possessions late in the frame, netting a 6-on-5 goal before converting on a subsequent counter attack to pad Michigan's lead to 7-2 at halftime.
The Wolverines again surged early in the third and fourth, netting two goals apiece in the opening minutes of both frames. Martin scored in both quarters to complete her hat trick, netting a slick skip shot in the third, while senior Elizabeth Williams and Anderson both scored on the counter attack. Freshman Christina O'Beck closed out scoring in the waning moments of the fourth with a tally from two meters.
The Wolverines will close out regular-season play with three CWPA league games in Bloomington, Indiana, next weekend. U-M will face Mercyhurst (2:20 p.m.) and Gannon (5:20 p.m.) on Saturday (April 18) before wrapping up the event against Bucknell at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday (April 19). All games will be held at Indiana's Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
GAME SUMMARIES
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan (14-11) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Brown (17-14) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
BU Goals: Olivia Santiago 2, Emily Klein 2, Shannon Crowley
Saves: U-M 5 (Julia Campbell 2, Emily Browning 3), BU N/A (Marisol Dakan)
Ejections: U-M 6, BU 12
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan (15-11) | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Harvard (17-10) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
HU Goals: Michelle Martinelli 3, Yoshi Andersen, Alexis Del Toro, Melissa Balding, Charlotte Hendrix, Zoe Osborne, Kaline Grabb
Saves: U-M 7 (Julia Campbell), PU N/A (Ariel Dukes)
Ejections: U-M 11, HU 21
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi
On the weekend ... "I still think it was successful despite that loss to Princeton. I feel we're still in the driver's seat; we're the No. 2 seed in our conference at this point. Everything is in front of us. At the end of the day, you can be No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3, but you still have to win the tournament at the end. Positioning yourself for early-round games at the CWPA Championship is the most important thing."
On gains from the weekend ... "I feel like playing in New Jersey against Princeton preps us for what's to come -- adjustments in the water, getting film. That was the first time we've seen Princeton, and it was the first time playing on the east coast. We saw different styles of play and got a chance to adjust to the teams and officials. Moving forward, we know what we need to do to be victorious."
On breakout Wolverine players ... "Our season has been all about trials and tribulations. We've seen our starting unit change, and we've seen our starting goalie change. So, every tournament we've found a new little formula -- something that has gotten us better. Laura [Jimenez] had a great weekend; she definitely broke out, and I'm excited for her. [Allison] Larko and Heidi [Moreland] have also broken out. Larko played well against Indiana and had a nice weekend. Heidi has slowly been finding her niche on the team. It's nice when you have three bench players, who can perform in critical moments."
On the focus at this point in the season ... "We're always trying to get better day in and day out in terms of technical proficiency and tactical execution. Once we start getting into conference mode, we do a little more refining. This past weekend, we played four conference games in one weekend. That's tough. We have two weeks left to prepare for our CWPA Championship. At this point, it's maintenance, refining and game prepping. We've already built our conditioning and foundation. We can still improve. They're still getting better day in and day out."
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (763) 763-4423
