Michigan
Princeton
U-M Stretches Win Streak to 10 Games
4/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
» Michigan extended its winning streak to 10 games.
» The Wolverines have defeated seven top-10 teams this season.
» U-M takes sole possession of first place in the CWPA with a 5-0 record.
Site: Lewisburg, Pa. (Kinney Natatorium)
Scores: #7 Michigan 14, #10 Princeton 6; #7 Michigan 14, Bucknell 5
Records: U-M (22-8, 5-0 CWPA), Princeton (18-3, 3-1 CWPA), Bucknell (13-13, 2-3 CWPA)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 8 -- vs. Brown, vs. Hartwick (Oneonta, N.Y.)
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team earned a top-10 win over No. 10 Princeton, 14-6, and topped host Bucknell, 14-5, to extend its win streak to 10 games on Sunday (April 2) at Kinney Natatorium.
The Wolverines improved to 5-0 in the CWPA and 22-8 on the season, extending their winning streak to 10 games. The win over Princeton is their seventh over a top-10 team this season. On the weekend, Michigan outscored its opponents 70-15.
Dr. Marcleo Leonardi is now 20-1 in CWPA play in three years at Michigan.
Game 1: #7 Michigan 14, #10 Princeton 6
In the top-10 showdown to start the day, U-M inserted its will right from the start. Senior captain Allison Skaggs wound end up having a huge day for the Wolverines and got them started with the game's first goal 49 seconds in.
Princeton tied it up on a penalty shot a little more than a minute later, but the Wolverines then went on a 4-0 run to build a 5-1 advantage. Skaggs scored another goal, freshman Maddy Steere tallied two, and senior captain Heidi Moreland chipped in one more as Michigan led 5-2 after the first eight minutes of play.
It was 6-3 after a Tigers goal with 6:03 to go in the second quarter. Leonardi called timeout, and 24 seconds later Skaggs got the hat trick. Three goals was the closest Princeton got the rest of the day as U-M put four more goals on the board to end the first half with a comfortable 11-4 lead. Two of those goals were by Steere, who recorded a game-high five goals when all was said and done.
The second half was low scoring with Michigan scoring three goals and Princeton two goals. However, the game was out of hand by that point, and the Wolverines remained undefeated in conference play.
Steere added an assist to her five goals for six points overall. Moreland and senior Danielle Johnson each notched two goals with Johnson adding two assists, five steals and two field blocks for a monster game overall. Sophomore Julia Sellers recorded one goal, three assists and two steals, and sophomore Kim Johnson dished out four assists to go with a pair of steals.
Freshman Heidi Ritner and the Wolverines got the best of Olympic gold medalist goalie Ashleigh Johnson and Princeton. Ritner had six saves and four steals, while the 14 goals by the Wolverines are the most allowed by Johnson and the Tigers this season.
Game 2: #7 Michigan 14, Bucknell 5
In the second game of the day, the Wolverines once again got off to a hot start. Skaggs kickstarted the team once again with a goal 28 seconds into the contest. She added another one a little more than two minutes later. Kim Johnson and junior Laura Jimenez each added goals as U-M led 4-0 before giving up a goal with two seconds left in the quarter.
Skaggs made it back-to-back games with a hat trick, and sophomore Delaney Cleveland scored in the second quarter, but Bucknell hung tough with just a three-goal deficit at the half, 6-3.
It was all Wolverines in the second half. They went on a 3-0 run over the first four minutes of the third quarter as Sellers, Kim Johnson and Steere all put up goals. Skaggs put the team in double digits with her fourth goal of the outing to make it 10-4 heading into the final period.
Senior Kaitlyn Cozens drew big cheers from her teammates when she scored her first goal of the season with 1:51 to play, capping off a great weekend for the Wolverines.
Skaggs dominated the inside throughout the entire game, ending with five goals after her exclamation point came with 6:50 remaining in the game. Steere followed with two goals after that to give her a hat trick and two assists. Both players finished the day with an amazing eight goals overall.
Danielle Johnson was once again great on defense with three steals and a field block to go with two assists. Ritner played the first three quarters in goal with five saves and four goals allowed. Freshman Cameron Cordial played the final eight minutes with one save and one goal allowed.
Michigan will wrap up the regular season with three more conference games next weekend. The Wolverines are set to face Brown and Hartwick on Saturday (April 8) and Harvard on Sunday (April 9) in Oneonta, New York.
