Michigan
San Jose State
Wolverines Wrap Up Stanford Invitational with 2-2 Record
2/4/2018 7:08:00 PM | Water Polo
» Michigan's shot was saved with 22 seconds remaining in a 9-8 loss to No. 8 Pacific.
» Senior Christina O'Beck matched a career high with three goals against San Jose State.
» Wolverines go 2-2 on the weekend and are now 7-6 on the season.
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Avery Aquatic Center)
Event: Stanford Invitational
Records: #9 Michigan (7-6), #7 San Jose State (2-6), #8 Pacific (6-2)
Score: Game 1: Michigan 14, San Jose State 3; Game 2: Pacific 9, Michigan 8
Next U-M Event: Feb. 23-25 -- Barbara Kalbus Invitational (Irvine, Calif.)
PALTO ALTO, Calif. -- The No. 9 University of Michigan water polo team concluded the Stanford Invitational with a 2-2 record as they handled No. 17 San Jose State, 14-3, and lost a one-goal game to No. 8 Pacific, 9-8 on Sunday (Feb. 4).
The Wolverines are now 7-6 on the season with all six losses coming to teams ranked in the top 10. U-M is 7-0 against teams ranked from Nos. 11-25.
Game 1: No. 9 Michigan 14, No. 17 San Jose State 3 [ PDF Boxscore ]
Michigan matched a season high with 14 goals and put forth a stellar defensive effort to beat No. 17 San Jose State, 14-3.
The Wolverines had nine different players score goals and were led by hat tricks from senior Christina O'Beck and junior Julia Sellers. Michigan's offense really opened up in the second half with four goals in the third and five in the fourth as the bench provided some solid minutes.
The hat trick for O'Beck matched a career high for goals and she also added an assist and three steals in a great effort off the bench. Sellers also had an assist for four points.
Sophomore goalkeeper Heidi Ritner had a great all-around game in the cage. She stopped four shots, had one steal and allowed just two goals in three quarters of action. She also kick-started the offensive break a couple of times with a pair of assists.
The defense shut out San Jose State in the first quarter and allowed just one goal in each of the final three periods. Michigan racked up 12 steals and six field blocks and held a team to five or fewer goals for the fifth time this season.Â
Game 2: No. 8 Pacific 9, No. 9 Michigan 8 [ PDF Boxscore ]
Michigan and Pacific met for the second time in as many weeks as the Tigers took a 10-7 victory in Ann Arbor last weekend. The second time they met proved to be a close matchup.
Pacific had a 9-8 lead late in the game with Michigan in possession and 36 seconds on the clock. Coming out of a timeout, the Wolverines got a look at the goal, but junior Kim Johnson's shot was saved and the Tigers were able to run out the final 22 seconds.
The difference in the game ended up being a 3-0 run Pacific put together in the third period to open up a 6-4 advantage. Michigan trailed, 8-6, with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter but fought back to tie the game at 8 with goals by Sellers and Johnson. Pacific then scored the eventual game-winning goal on the next possession with 2:54 left.
Michigan scored on just two of its 13 6-on-5 chances in the game. Johnson, Sellers and sophomore Maddy Steere each scored two goals. Steere also had an assist and four drawn exclusions while Johnson added two assists and two field blocks.Â
Ritner was big in goal for the Wolverines with 11 saves and two steals. She also nearly scored a goal in the contest but took the loss.
Michigan will have two weekends off before returning to action Feb. 23-25 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, California.
