Michigan
Arizona State
Michigan Splits on Day One of ASU Invite
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» The loss to No. 9 ASU is U-M's first to a lower-ranked team in 2016.
» Freshman Julia Sellers scored four goals in the nightcap.
» Sophomore Caroline Anderson had three steals in both games.
Site: Tempe, Ariz. (Mona Plummer Aquatic Center)
Event: Arizona State Invite (Day 1)
Score: #9 Arizona State 8, #5 Michigan 5; #5 Michigan 16, Pomona-Pitzer 3
Records: U-M (17-6), ASU (11-4), Pomona-Pitzer (5-9)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 20 -- vs. Pacific (8 a.m. MDT) and Marist (2 p.m. MDT)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan water polo team earned a split in its first two games of the Arizona State Invite on Saturday (March 19) at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
U-M's difficult schedule continue as it faced a top-10 opponent for the 11th time this year in No. 9 Arizona State. For the first time this season, the Wolverines dropped a contest against a lower-ranked team as the Sun Devils won 8-5. U-M is now 5-6 on the year against top-10 opponents.
The schedule did not get any easier in the nightcap as U-M took on the No. 2-ranked team in Division III, Pomona-Pitzer. However, the Wolverines bounced back from the earlier loss and got back in the win column with a big 16-3 win as 10 different U-M players scored.
Game 1: Arizona State 8, Michigan 5
Michigan got off 25 shots against the ninth-ranked Sun Devils, but the shots were not going in the Wolverines' favor as they scored just five goals to match a season low.
Arizona State, on the other hand, converted half of its shot attempts with eight goals on 16 shots.
The Sun Devils got off to a good start with the first two goals in the game. Michigan got its first goal with 1:44 left in the first quarter when senior Kelly Martin took a pass from freshman Kim Johnson and converted on the power play to cut the lead in half.
With 10 seconds to go in the first period, ASU got a key goal to make it 3-1 after eight minutes.
Michigan evened the game at 4-4 in the second quarter with back-to-back goals by junior Danielle Johnson and sophomore Caroline Anderson. However, another goal in the last minute of the period allowed ASU to secure a 5-4 halftime lead.
Only one goal was scored in a defensive third period with Arizona State doubling the lead to 6-4. Then in the final period ASU held U-M to only one more goal to go on to an 8-5 victory.
Martin finished with two goals in the contest to lead the way, while Anderson had one goal and three steals.
Game 2: Michigan 16, Pomona-Pitzer 3
Michigan has fared very well against teams not ranked in Division I. After a 19-2 victory over unranked George Washington two weeks ago, U-M posted a 16-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer, which is ranked No. 2 in the Division III poll.
The Wolverines had a tremendous first half, scoring four goals in the first and five in the second quarter while holding Pomona-Pitzer scoreless.
Junior goalkeeper Emily Browning made her first start of the season and was a big part of the defensive effort. She made 13 saves in the game to help the Wolverines limit Pomona-Pitzer to just three goals in the game.
The offense was spread around with 10 different players getting at least one goal. Freshman Julia Sellers and Danielle Johnson each netted a hat trick in the contest to lead U-M in scoring.
Anderson continued to play a great all-around game with two goals, three assists and three steals. Senior Ali Thomason had four steals to go with her penalty-shot goal.
The Wolverines will play two more games at the ASU Invite on Sunday (March 20) as they take on No. 13 Pacific at 8 a.m. MDT and close out the weekend with No. 23 Marist at 2 p.m. MDT.
