U-M Defeats St. Francis, Indiana to Sweep Michigan Invitational

Sunday, February 21

Ann Arbor, Mich.

9:00 AM

Michigan

3-0

Saint Francis

2-5

St. Francis (PA)

Michigan

(Michigan Photography)

U-M Defeats St. Francis, Indiana to Sweep Michigan Invitational

2/21/2021 8:09:00 PM | Water Polo

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Brad Rudner

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Event: Michigan Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
Records: U-M (4-0), IU (6-2), SFU (2-5)
Scores: #6 Michigan 13, St. Francis (Pa.) 2; #6 Michigan 11, #13 Indiana 6
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 26 -- at Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.), 1:30 p.m. MST

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan water polo team capped off a perfect 4-0 start to the season after notching a 13-2 win over St. Francis (Pa.) and an 11-6 win over No. 13 Indiana to cap off the Michigan Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 21) at Canham Natatorium.

For the day, junior Erin Neustrom and freshman Libby Alsemgeest each scored four goals, while senior Maddie O'Reilly filled up the stat sheet with two goals and five assists.

• PDF Boxscores: St. Francis (Pa.) | #13 Indiana
• Tournament Central

Game 1: #6 Michigan 13, St. Francis (Pa.) 2

The Wolverines opened up the day with a dominant victory over St. Francis (Pa.), defined largely by depth and defense. Ten different Michigan players scored at least one goal, while 16 different players combined to record 19 steals. Michigan completely shut own the Red Flash around the net, holding the visitors scoreless for three of the game's four quarters and conceding only 14 shots.

The offense jumped out to a 5-0 start in the first quarter and never looked back. Neustrom, senior Sofie Pontré and senior Emily Ritner made it 3-0 just four minutes in, while Alsemgeest and sophomore Sophie Tovani added goals off the bench before the end of the quarter. Senior Kathy Rogers and freshman Lola Ciruli added their names to the scoresheet with goals in the second quarter, increasing Michigan's halftime lead to 7-0.

The Wolverines limited St. Francis to just seven shots and an 0-for-4 clip with the man-advantage.

The second unit continued to produce in the second half. On back-to-back possessions, sophomores Jess Henningsen and Abby May each made darting swims to the net and were rewarded with goals.

The goalkeepers both got involved in the offense, too. Sophomore Alex Brown, who came on in the second half in relief of junior Sophie Jackson, made a beautiful down-pool pass to sophomore Anne Rankin, who successfully converted her one-on-one chance with the goalie. Brown made four saves on the morning, while Jackson made three.

Game 2: Michigan 11, Indiana 6

The Wolverines jumped out to a 3-2 lead after the first quarter. Ciruli scored the go-ahead goal with 10 seconds left, ducking a shot inside the near post.

In the second quarter, senior Heidi Ritner, who played the full game and made nine saves in goal, found O'Reilly on a breakaway down the left side. Like Ciruli in the first, O'Reilly skipped her shot inside the near post to put U-M up, 4-2. Alsemgeest added another before the break to put Michigan up, 5-2, while the defense held Indiana scoreless.

The visitors hung around, scoring two quick goals within the first 90 seconds of the third quarter, forcing a Michigan timeout. Out of the break, O'Reilly answered right back to restore the lead. The teams traded goals -- with Michigan getting markers from Morrant and freshman Kata Utassy (via a five-meter penalty) -- to increase the lead to 9-5.

The Wolverines closed the game out in the fourth. A shot from senior Emily Ritner was saved by the Indiana keeper, but Alsemgeest fought for the rebound and drew a five-meter penalty shot, which Morrant converted. The Hoosiers had one final chance to make it interesting with two minutes to play on a five-meter penalty shot of their own, but Ritner stonewalled the attempt. She made nine saves in the contest.

The Wolverines head out west next weekend for four matches in three days against Arizona State and USC in Tempe, Ariz. Play kicks off on Friday (Feb. 26) at 1:30 p.m. MST against the Sun Devils.