Michigan Sweeps Harvard, Brown to Stay Undefeated in Conference Play

Saturday, April 1

Cambridge, Mass.

10:00 AM

Michigan

17-8

Harvard

17-5

Michigan

Harvard

Alex Brown (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Sweeps Harvard, Brown to Stay Undefeated in Conference Play

4/1/2023 6:23:00 PM | Water Polo

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Boxscore (Harvard)PDF Boxscore (Brown)

By: Bridgette Underwood

» Michigan remains undefeated in CWPA play after cruising past No. 14 Harvard and No. 21 Brown.
» Kata Utassy racked up points with seven against Harvard and three against Brown, reaching 100 points on the season, reaching the milestone in 25 games -- the fastest in program history.
» Alex Brown recorded 32 saves on the day between the pipes.

Site: Cambridge, Mass. (Blodgett Pool), Providence, R.I. (Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center)
Score: #13 Michigan 14, #14 Harvard 6; #13 Michigan 14, #21 Brown 7
Records: U-M (18-8, 6-0 CWPA), Harvard (17-5, 1-2 CWPA), Brown (19-7, 1-3 CWPA)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 2 -- vs. No. 7 Princeton, 10:30 a.m. (Providence, R.I.)

The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated No. 14 Harvard 14-6 in Cambridge, Mass., before traveling to Providence, R.I., to defeat No. 21 Brown 14-7 on Saturday (April 1).

Kata Utassy racked up points with seven against Harvard and three against Brown to reach 100 points on the season, reacjing the milestone in 25 games -- the fastest in program history. Alex Brown recorded 32 saves on the day between the pipes.

Game 1: #13 Michigan 14, #14 Harvard 6

Sammi Monroe kicked off the back-and-forth first quarter with a goal from the top before Harvard found the back of the net twice to pull into an early 2-1 lead. Libby Alsemgeest scored from the two-meter line to tie it up at 2 before the Crimson recaptured the lead after a counterattack goal. Ava Morrant tied the game at 3 with three minutes left in the quarter, and 30 seconds later Erin Neustrom fired a shot past the goalie to take the lead back at 4-3.

The Crimson struck first in the second quarter with a lob shot over Brown three minutes in to knot the game at 4. Neustrom collected a rebound off the post to sneak it past the keeper to push Michigan to a 5-4 lead and scored again on a counterattack with 2:36 left in the half to give the Wolverines their first two-goal lead of the contest at 6-4. Brown denied back-to-back penalty shots and and set up Monroe up for a perfect cross-cage goal to give Michigan a 7-4 advantage heading into halftime.

Morrant fired a shot from deep and scored just 20 seconds into the third quarter to put U-M up 8-4. Utassy ripped a shot from nine meters out after a foul, then hit the back of the net just seconds after to give Michigan a 10-4 lead. The Crimson was able to sneak one past Brown for their first goal of the quarter to bring the score to 10-5. Ashley O'Neill took advantage of a 6-on-5 power play with a goal into right corner. Brown stopped her third penalty shot of the game to ed the quarter and keep Michigan in front 11-5.

Morrant extended the Michigan lead to 12-5 with a bullet to the back of the net. Utassy snuck one past the Harvard keeper for her third of the game before Neustrom recorded her third goal of the game for a hat trick to give Michigan a 14-5 lead. The Crimson scored one more time before the game clock expired, but the Wolverines 14-6.

Brown made 17 saves including the three on penalty shots. On the offensive side, Neustrom recorded four goals while Utassy and Morrant each earned hat tricks. Utassy was the top point-getter with seven after three goals and four assists.

Game 2: #13 Michigan 14, #21 Brown 7

Elise Walker got the Michigan on the board first against the Bears with a shot to the top-left corner of the goal, with the assist coming from Utassy. Brown responded with its own goal before Brooke Ingram skipped an attempt past the keeper, and Monroe pushed the lead to two, 3-1, off a pass from Lola Ciruli before Alsemgeest powered past the two-meter line to find the back of the net to give Michigan a 4-1 lead. Brown capitalized off a miscommunication to sneak one past Alex Brown to end the quarter, but U-M led, 4-2.

In the second quarter, it took only 26 seconds before Neustrom scored to increase the Wolverines' lead to 5-2. Alsemgeest split three defenders and scored her second goal of the game, giving U-M a four-goal cushion, 6-2. Sophie Tovani rattled off a pair of goals to end the half with the Maize and Blue ahead 8-2.

Alsemgeest got U-M started in the third quarter, scoring off an asssist from Utassy. Ciruli followed with a marker of her own to put Michigan ahead 10-2. Riley Chapple lobbed a ball right over the keeper and into the far side of the goal. Later, Brown's goalie thought she had control of the ball, but Issy Jackson charged it and poked it into the goal for a 12-4 Wolverines advantage.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears recorded three goals, but Fiona Young and O'Neill each chipped in a goal to give Michigan the 14-7 win.

Michigan will be back in action on Sunday (April 2) at 10:30 a.m. when it takes on No. 7 Princeton at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center in Providence, R.I.