Michigan
Stanford
U-M Slips Past No. 15 LMU after Falling Short vs. No. 1 Stanford
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» Ali Thomason became the ninth player in school history with 150 career goals.
» Michigan has played all 11 of its games against ranked opponents.
» U-M is now 0-10 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams.
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Avery Aquatics Center)
Event: Stanford Invite (Day 1)
Scores: #1 Stanford 12, #7 Michigan 7; #7 Michigan 9, #15 Loyola Marymount 8
Records: U-M (8-3), STAN (6-0), LMU (2-2)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 7 -- vs. San Jose State (Palo Alto, Calif.), 8 a.m. PST
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team split two games on the first day of the Stanford Invite on Saturday (Feb. 6), falling to No. 1 Stanford, 12-7, and claiming a 9-8 victory over No. 15 Loyola Marymount at the Avery Aquatic Center.
Even with Super Bowl 50 just one day away, college water polo was the focus on Saturday at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center with eight of the nation's top 25 in action.
The Wolverines had a tough task on their hands to start the weekend of games as they were taking on the 2015 national champion and current No. 1 Stanford squad right out of the gate. Later in the day, they had a matchup with No. 15 LMU.
Game 1: Stanford 12, Michigan 7
The Wolverines entered the game with confidence after a 7-2 start to the season that had them ranked No. 7 in the nation.
"We came out hard and were getting good looks early," said junior Danielle Johnson.
U-M scored the game's first goal on a penalty shot by Thomason and also 2-1 after a power-play goal by D. Johnson. Unfortunately for Michigan, Stanford went on a 6-0 run into the second period to build a 7-2 lead. Freshman Kim Johnson ended the run with her first goal of the weekend.
"I was disappointed in our second quarter," said head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi. "Stanford physically pushed us around. At halftime, we talked about holding our water and executing at a higher level."
Michigan trailed by five goals at the half, but a very strong third quarter put U-M right back in the thick of things heading into the final eight minutes. The Wolverines outscored the Cardinal 3-0 in the third period, getting goals from senior Kelly Martin, D. Johnson and senior Ali Thomason. The goal by Thomason was her 150th career goal as she is the ninth player in U-M history to hit the 150 mark.
Stanford, making its home debut, locked up its defense in the final quarter. The Cardinal did not allow another goal as they outscored Michigan 3-0 to build the lead back to five goals and improve to 5-0 on the season.
Sophomore Caroline Anderson, who went to high school at nearby Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, scored with 19 seconds to go in the first half to make it 9-4 at the break. She also had two assists in the game to reach 20 on the season in just 10 games.
Thomason and Danielle Johnson each scored two goals to lead Michigan. Jordan Raney and Kat Klass each had three goals for Stanford.
Michigan fell to 0-10 all-time against No. 1 teams, with six of those losses coming against the Cardinal.
Game 2: Michigan 9, Loyola Marymount 8
In the afternoon, the block M was spreading around The Farm as Michigan's men's gymnastics team had a meet at Burnham Pavilion across the street from where the water polo team was warming up to take on LMU.
Michigan took a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes of action with goals by Kim Johnson and junior Allison Skaggs. It was 3-2 Wolverines with the first quarter winding to a close when freshman Julia Sellers fired away and scored with two seconds on the game clock to extend the lead to 4-2.
It was a good thing Sellers tacked on the goal as Michigan was held scoreless in the second period, and LMU tallied three goals to take a 5-4 lead into halftime.
"We had a carryover from the Stanford game and came out a little flat in the first half," said Leonardi. "LMU hung around long enough to capitalize on opportunities."
Almost three minutes went by in the second half, before Thomason tied the game at 5-5 with her second goal of the game. With 3:26 left in the third, freshman Amy Ridge brought the lead back to Michigan. The teams traded goals the rest of the period, and with 27 seconds to go in the third, it was Thomason again getting a hat trick to put the Wolverines up 8-7.
Kim Johnson had a big goal with 2:56 left in the game to make it 9-7 and give her a hat trick. LMU's Ivana Castro answered with her third goal of the half on a penalty shot just 16 seconds later to make it 9-8.
The Lions had several chances to tie the game down the stretch, but Michigan's defense locked up and made each possession difficult. Senior Julia Campbell made two big saves down the stretch, including one on the final possession of the game to hold off LMU and give U-M the 9-8 victory.
Danielle Johnson was facing her former team for the first time after transferring to Michigan to start school in January 2015. She earned two kickouts in the game while also adding a steal and a field block to help the Wolverines get the win.
"I wasn't nervous like I thought I was going to be," said Johnson. "It was weird playing against them, but my mom told me before the game that she would be nervous for me. For us, there was really no option other than to win, and we chipped away at it to eventually take the lead going into the fourth period."
Campbell finished with eight saves and only allowed three second half goals. She helped Michigan earn its first victory this season when trailing at the half.
Michigan will have two more games tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 7) at the Stanford Invite. The Wolverines will face No. 8 San Jose State for the second time this season at 8 a.m. PST. U-M won 18-9 two weeks ago against the Spartans. Michigan will also play at either 1:30 p.m. or 2:45 p.m. PST depending on results.
GAME SUMMARIES
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Stanford | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
U-M Goals: Ali Thomason 2, Danielle Johnson 2, Caroline Anderson, Kelly Martin, Kim Johnson
Stanford Goals: Jordan Raney 3, Kat Klass 3, Dani Jackovich, Lauren Norheim, Katie Dudley, Jamie Neushul, Anna Yelizarova, Sophia Monaghan
Saves: U-M 3 (Julia Campbell 2, Emily Browning 1), Stanford 11 (Julia Hermann)
Ejections: U-M 9, Stanford 8
| By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Loyola Marymount | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
U-M Goals: Kim Johnson 3, Ali Thomason 3, Allison Skaggs, Amy Ridge, Julia Sellers
LMU Goals: Erin Byrne 3, Ivana Castro 3, Emily Byrne, Hana Vilanova
Saves: U-M 8 (Julia Campbell), LMU 8 (Sky Flores)
Ejections: U-M 10, LMU 9
