Michigan
UC Santa Barbara
Wolverines Cap Undefeated Weekend at Michigan Invite
1/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» Michigan went undefeated in four games this weekend.
» Ali Thomason (4 goals), Kelly Martin (3) and Danielle Johnson (3) netted hat tricks in the win over UCSB.
» Senior Julia Campbell recorded 24 saves on Sunday.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Michigan Invitational (Day 2)
Records: Michigan (7-2), UCSB (6-3), Pacific (3-5)
Score: #7 Michigan 14, #11 UCSB 8; #7 Michigan 11, #12 Pacific 7
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., Feb. 6-7 -- at Stanford Invite (Palo Alto, Calif.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team built on its opening weekend with wins in all four games at home during the Michigan Invitational, including wins over No. 11 UCSB and No. 12 Pacific on Sunday (Jan. 31) at Canham Natatorium.
The Wolverines were not content with the highest ranking for the program since 2011, setting out to prove they belong in the top 10 against this week.
Michigan earned wins over No. 11 UCSB, No. 12 Pacific, No. 15 San Diego State and No. 24 Marist in its first home tournament in two seasons. U-M swept its Wolverine Invitational two years ago but did not face any ranked teams. This year the sweep came against four straight ranked opponents.
A strong defense, quick counterattack and patient offense led to four quality wins for U-M. Michigan did not allow a team to reach 10 goals this weekend, and in the fourth quarter they outscored opponents 13-6 over the four games.
Senior Ali Thomason was Michigan's leading scorer for the second straight weekend with 14 goals. Sophomore Caroline Anderson and freshman Kim Johnson had a team-high six assists. Thomason's 19 points tied for the most of any player over the weekend. Senior Julia Campbell had 41 saves and a .594 save percentage t lead all starting goalkeepers.
Game 1: Michigan 14, UCSB 8
Michigan's pressure defense forced No. 11 UCSB out of its comfort zone for much of the game. The defense kept pushing the Gauchos further and further out, forcing either a long, low-percentage shot or dump in to the corner on many positions. The second-half defense was especially good, holding UCSB to just three goals.
The defense also helped Michigan counter attack and opened up the offense for good looks on goal. U-M set the tone early, letting UCSB know its counter-attack capabilities when Campbell threw the ball nearly the length of the pool to lead senior Kelly Martin for the first goal of the game.
The offense took advantage of many good opportunities to finish with 14 goals in the game. Thomason posted her sixth straight game with four or more goals. Martin finished with a hat trick and one assist. Junior Danielle Johnson recorded her first hat trick as a Wolverine. Her younger sister Kim totaled two goals and two assists.
When UCSB got shots on goal, Campbell was there to stop them. She had 10 saves and two steals in the game. She had several incredible saves throughout the game to deflate UCSB's offense.
The sprints provided a show in amongst themselves. Thomason and Samantha Murphy from UCSB both showed off their speed. Murphy won the first two sprints, two rare losses for Thomason. However, Thomason got the last two, including a jump ball in the fourth period.
Game 2: Michigan 11, Pacific 7
Michigan and Pacific closed out the weekend with the final of 12 games at Canham. The Wolverines were ready to go after the solid performance earlier in the day and jumped ahead 3-0 in the first 2:04 of the game.
U-M led 4-1 after the first quarter with two goals coming from Anderson. Pacific cut into the lead with two goals on a penalty shot and a power play in the final 1:34 of the second period to make it 6-4 at the break.
Pacific cut the lead to one goal in the third period with a power-play goal at the 2:43 mark. However, Michigan answered with a hard shot by Thomason and give-and-go goal by Martin off a corner throw to extend the lead back to three.
The fourth period was all Danielle Johnson and the Michigan defense. Johnson scored two goals to give her a hat trick in both of Sunday's games. Her first goal came on a breakaway with Anderson finding Thomason down the middle of the pool and then Thomason hitting Johnson down the left side for an easy shot on goal. The second goal was a feed into the two-meter position where Johnson battled for the ball and somehow got off a shot as the shot clock expired. Meanwhile, Campbell had three saves, and the defense did not allow a single fourth-quarter goal.
To go with her three goals, Danielle Johnson also had two assists and four steals for a monster game. Thomason finished with two goals and two assists while winning all four sprints. Campbell recorded a season-high 14 saves.
Michigan will head to Silicon Valley next weekend. U-M will not be taking in the Super Bowl, however, as the Wolverines will be in Palo Alto, California, for the Stanford Invite (Feb. 6-7) at Avery Aquatics Center.
GAME SUMMARIES
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| UCSB | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
U-M Goals: Ali Thomason 4, Kelly Martin 3, Danielle Johnson 3, Kim Johnson 2, Kimberly Graziano, Amy Ridge
UCSB Goals: Taylor Shore, Samantha Murphy, Brenna Thomas, Jessie Porter, Camila Schafer, Bryn Hudson
Saves: U-M 10 (Julia Campbell 10), UCSB 7 (Mackenzie Brokaw 7)
Ejections: U-M 10, UCSB 8
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Pacific | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
U-M Goals: Danielle Johnson 3, Caroline Anderson 2, Ali Thomason 2, Heidi Moreland, Kelly Martin, Allison Skaggs, Kim Johnson
Pacific Goals: Viktoria Szmodics 3, Karolina Hlavata 3, Rachel Krieger
Saves: U-M 14 (Julia Campbell 14), Pacific 9 (A. Hollinrake 9)
Ejections: U-M 6, Pacific 2
