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No. 13 Michigan Stops No. 20 UC-San Diego 10-6 at Aztec Mini Tournament
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The No.
13-ranked University of Michigan water polo team wrapped up the
2009 regular season with a 10-6 victory at No. 20-ranked UC San
Diego in final game of the Aztec Mini on Saturday, April 11 at the
Canyonview Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Alison Mantel (Miami, Fla./Gulliver)
tallied a hat trick and five steals, senior Carrie Frost
(Saline, Mich./Saline) dented the twine twice in the
contest and junior Leah Robertson (Newport Beach,
Calif./Newport Harbor) chipped in two helpers. Meanwhile,
senior/junior Brittany May (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa
Barbara) made five saves in three periods of work before
ceding to freshman Morgan Turner (Mission Viejo,
Calif./Trabuco Hills) in the fourth period, during which
she made five saves of her own in a busy quarter in the cage.
Michigan got on the board inside the final two minutes of the first
when Mantel dented the twine. UCSD leveled the score just over a
minute later to leave things even at 1-1 at the end of the opening
period. The Michigan offense surged in the second half when, after
trading goals in the first two minutes, the Maize and Blue scored
four straight markers. Mantel, senior Julie Hyrne
(Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty), senior Mary
Chatigny (Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) and sophomore
Keller Felt (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) all
tallied in a five minute span that gave U-M a 6-2 advantage at the
break.
UCSD made a strong comeback bid in the third period, pulling to
within a 7-5 margin. A goal by Robertson with 3:30 left in the
frame interrupted the three-goal surge from the Tritons. Michigan
regained control of the offensive flow in the fourth quarter,
getting an early goal from Mantel before Hyrne and Frost tallied to
make it a 10-5 game. UCSD found the net one last time with eight
seconds left, but it was not enough to overcome the Maize and Blue
advantage.
The Wolverines begin defense of their division crown next Saturday,
April 18 when they take on Penn State-Behrend at 9 a.m. in the
opening round of the CWPA Western Division Championships in
Bloomington, Indiana.
Release courtesy Michigan Athletic Communications
