Michigan
San Jose State
Skaggs, Ritner Lead Michigan to Third-Place Finish
2/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» Michigan, which beat No. 16 San Jose State 10-9 and Hawaii 8-6 Sunday, placed third at the Stanford Invitational for the second straight season.
» Allison Skaggs scored four goals in the third-place game.
» Heidi Ritner made four of her six saves in the final two periods.
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Belardi Pool/Avery Aquatic Center)
Event: Stanford Invitational (Day 2)
Score: #7 Michigan 10, #16 San Jose State 9; #7 Michigan 8, #8 Hawaii 6
Records: U-M (6-3), SJSU (3-6), Hawaii (6-4)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., Feb. 11-12 -- at Triton Invite (San Diego, Calif.)
STANFORD, Calif. -- Behind four goals from senior Allison Skaggs and clutch saves in the second half by freshman Heidi Ritner, the No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated No. 8 Hawaii, 8-6, to place third at the Stanford Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 5).
"Coming off a hard practice week this feels great," said Skaggs. "All the swim sets and weight lifting has paid off to play four good games and finish third in a big tournament."
This is the second consecutive year the Wolverines have placed third at the Stanford Invitational. The win over Hawaii is the second over a top-10 opponent through just eight nine games in 2017.
Game 2: No. 7 Michigan 8, No. 8 Hawaii 6
With the score tied at 5-5 in the third period, Ritner made back-to-back clutch saves. Hawaii fired a shot through a tunnel of defenders with their hands up, and Ritner followed the ball and made a stop to thwart a 6-on-5 chance. The next possession down, Hawaii had a point-blank opportunity with no defenders, but Ritner cut off the shooting angle and made the big stop.
"The defense knew exactly what they needed to do to funnel the shot right to me," said Ritner. "I was able to get my hands on it. Everybody really wanted to close out the weekend strong."
Those two saves were a turning point in the game. Soon after, Skaggs gave Michigan a 6-5 lead with an outside shot. She picked her spot and hit the target. It was one of her four goals in the game. Perhaps her two biggest goals came in the fourth quarter. She finished a pair of backhanded attempts, her signature shot.
The first made it a two-goal game. Then after Hawaii had cut the lead to 7-6, sophomore Kim Johnson made an entry pass inside to Skaggs. As two defenders collapsed on her, Skaggs quickly got the ball out and into the cage to make it 8-6 with just 1:03 left in the game.
"They were great entry passes from my teammates, and the shot is just a last-ditch effort for me," said Skaggs. "All the training has been for those moments late in a game, to make big moves and finish the game."
Those are the plays that need to be made in big games. Facing a top-10 team for third place in a high-level tournament provided a postseason feel for the Wolverines.
Skaggs tallied a season-high four goals, and Ritner finished with six saves. Johnson also had a big game for the Wolverines with two goals and three assists, while sophomore Julia Sellers scored two goals and had one assist.
Game 1: No. 7 Michigan 10, No. 16 San Jose State 9
Michigan started the day with a one-goal victory over No. 16 San Jose State.
It was a close game throughout with the Wolverines leading by as many as three goals in the fourth period. The Spartans made it interesting late with two goals 13 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter. It was 10-9 with 1:28 to go. U-M's defense came up big as the team collapsed on an entry pass to get a steal and run out the clock.
The Wolverines were led by junior Caroline Anderson and Johnson. Anderson became the eighth player in Michigan history to go over 250 career points with her three goals and three assists in the contest. Johnson also had three assists to go along with two goals and three drawn exclusions.
The win put the Wolverines in the third-place game against Hawaii, finishing second to Cal in the bracket.
Michigan will travel to San Diego next weekend (Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 11-12) for the Triton Invite.
