The Lions Sleep Tonight: No. 11 Michigan Shocks No. 9 Loyola Marymount 11-7 in NCAA Fifth Place Game

Leah Robertson

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Julie Hyrne (Sr., Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) recorded a hat-trick in her final NCAA game as the No. 11-ranked University of Michigan Wolverines routed No. 9 Loyola Marymount University 11-7 in the fifth place game of the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women's Water Polo Championship at the University of Maryland's Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium. The finish equals the highest placement by a CWPA team since the NCAA field expanded to eight teams.

Michigan, which trailed 4-3 at halftime and 7-3 with 5:12 left in the third period, outshot LMU 13-7 in the final 13 minutes of play and outscored the Lions 8-0 over the same stretch to rout Loyola Marymount and place fifth at the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.

Overall, the Wolverines finish equals the mark of the 2007 Hartwick College Hawks which knocked off LMU 13-12 at the 2007 NCAA Championship for the highest finish by a Collegiate Water Polo Association team since the NCAA field expanded to eight teams in 2005.

In terms of NCAA fifth place games in CWPA history, the league is now 2-3 as Michigan fell to Loyola Marymount 10-5 in 2005 and 12-9 to San Diego State University in 2008, while Hartwick dropped a 12-10 OT game to University of California-Davis in 2006.

The win over LMU was historic for more than just the league as Michigan established program records for wins in a season (35) and single-season winning percentage (.795), while also establishing a new modern (2001-present) Collegiate Water Polo Association single season win mark with a 35-9 mark on the season.

In a game which finished close, saw one team open up a large lead in third period and squander it at the end of the third and into the fourth period, the Wolverines used strong defense and timely offense to stymy the Lions attack when it mattered the most.

The teams traded goals in the first period as the Hyrne opened the scoring with a blast with 5:59 left in the opening frame before Nicole Hughes (Sr., Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes) drew even with an exclusion score at the 5:26 mark.  The Wolverines regained the lead at 2:41 with a marker by Kelsey Haley (Sr., Portola Valley, Calif./Menlo), but the Lions roared back with an exclusion goal by Anne Scott (Jr., Bainbridge Island, Wash./American River) with 30 seconds left in the period.

Michigan again regained the lead and the pattern continued as Lauren Orth (So., Poway, Calif./Poway) connected on a catch-and-shoot with 4:19 remaining in the second period, but LMU's Scott pumped in her team's third exclusion marker at 1:21 to retie the game at 3-3.  

The Lions went in front for the first time as the half was winding down as Scott whistled a shot from the outside past Maize and Blue netminder Brittany May (Sr., Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) with 43 ticks showing on the game-clock for the 4-3 LMU lead at the break.

LMU appeared to take a commanding lead in the first three minutes of the third period with back-to-back-to-back tallies to end any Michigan hope of taking the game. 

Following Scott's pair of tallies to end the first half, Mary Ann Campos (So., Commerce, Calif./Whittier) drilled an exclusion score at 7:19 before Hughes dumped in her second and third scores of the game at 5:45 and 5:12 to finish off a 4-0 scoring run and stake the Lions to a 7-3 lead with 13:12 left in regulation.

However, the Wolverines refused to rollover as Cara Reitz (So., Miami, Fla./Gulliver) ignited her squad's offense with a man-up goal with 4:48 left in the period to pull Michigan to within 7-4.  Sharayah Hernandez (Sr., Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) inched the Maize and Blue closer with another exclusion score with 1:24 left in the third as the teams entered the fourth period with LMU clinging to a 7-5 lead.

The margin drew smaller in less than a minute as Hyrne deked her way through the Lions' defense and rifled a shot past LMU goalie Eliana Arellano (Jr., Commerce, Calif./Montebello) with 7:04 left in regulation to close the gap to a single goal at 7-6.

Michigan then went for the jugular as Reitz converted on a five-meter penalty call against Scott as she fired the shot and collected the save off the hands of Arellano for a put-back score with 6:05 remaining in the game to knot the game at 7-7. 

The save marked the only stop by Arellano in the final 13 minutes of play as Michigan fired 15 shots, scoring on eight and missing the cage with four.

It took Michigan only 42 seconds to net the game-winner and seal the Lions' fate as Leah Robertson (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) beat Arellano at the 5:23 mark inside the near post to give the Wolverines an 8-7 lead, their first advantage since a 3-2 lead with 4:29 left in the second period.

Holding LMU without a shot on their own end for over four minutes, the Maize and Blue offense continued to pour it on as Carrie Frost (Sr., Saline, Mich./Saline) struck at 4:16, Hyrne completed her hat-trick at 2:18 on an exclusion chance and Alison Mantel (So., Miami, Fla./Gulliver) tacked on the 11th goal at 1:11 for the 11-7 final.

In cage, May swatted away six shots to earn the win for Michigan, including four in the second half to key the Wolverines' comback, while Arellano took the loss with three saves.

The win raises Michigan's record to 4-7 all-time in four trips to the NCAA Championship, while LMU falls to 8-9 in six bids to the sport's national championship.

LMU Goals: Anne Scott (3); Nicole Hughes (3); Mary Ann Campos

Michigan Goals: Julie Hyrne (3); Cara Reitz (2); Lauren Orth; Alison Mantel; Carrie Frost; Leah Robertson; Sharayah Hernandez; Kelsey Haley  

Shots:  LMU - 26 ; Michigan - 27

Saves: LMU - Eliana Arellano (3) ; Michigan - Brittany May (6)

Ejections: LMU - 9 ; Michigan - 12

Advantage Opportunities: LMU - 4-of-10; Michigan - 3-of-6

Sprints: LMU - 4 (Anne Scott - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; Michigan - None

Julie Hyrne recorded a hat-trick to tie for the game high in goals