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No. 5 Michigan Handles No. 20 Princeton & No. 12 Hartwick at Princeton Invitational
PRINCETON, N.J. --
Senior Leah Robertson (Newport Beach,
Calif./Newport Harbor) tallied 10 goals as the No.
5-ranked University of Michigan water polo team took the first
steps toward a third straight CWPA Eastern championship with wins
over No. 20-ranked Princeton, 13-10, and No. 12-ranked Hartwick,
14-11, on day one of the Princeton Invitational in DeNunzio
Pool.
Sophomore Morgan Turner (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco
Hills) made 21 saves in the cage on the day, earning both
victories. In the nightcap, the second-year netminder had
career-high four steals and two assists.
Junior Lauren Orth (Poway, Calif./Poway) had four
goals and a career-high six steals against the Tigers and tacked on
four helpers against the Hawks. Junior Cara Reitz (Miami,
Fla./Gulliver) packed a team-leading six steals into a
three-point game against Hartwick, while freshman Kiki
Golden (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) had five goals on
the day, including four against the Hawks.
Against Hartwick, Michigan built an early two-goal lead on scores
from Robertson at the set and Orth late in the frame. Hartwick then
snuck one in before the end of the first frame. The Hawks knotted
the game up early in the second frame, but Robertson was quick to
snatch the lead back into U-M's favor with three straight goals.
Golden and junior Ryley Plunkett(Modesto,
Calif./Johansen) found paydirt for the Wolverines and
Robertson continued her assault on the cage with two more scores to
give U-M a 10-4 lead at the break.
After Hartwick opened the second-half scoring, Golden completed her
hat trick on a counter-attack goal. Reitz added to the U-M lead,
upping the ante with a skip shot to 12-5. Turner made it stand up
with a 6-on-5 save on U-M's first shorthanded situation. The teams
traded goals to head into the final period in a 13-6 contest. With
the game at hand, Michigan went to its bench in a final frame that
saw the Wolverines outscored 5-1.
It took Michigan some time to get rolling in the opener as the
Wolverines trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before settling in and building a
6-3 lead at the break. Robertson sparked a third-period run for the
Wolverines when she sneaked behind the Tiger defense off an
ejection call and was all alone for the goal. Michigan rattled off
four goals in the period to own a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth
period. Princeton pushed hard in the final frame, scoring four of
the game's final five goals before a backhander at two-meters by
sophomore Meagan Cobb (Hudsonville,
Mich./Hudsonville) put an end to the streak and secured
the victory.
The wins improve Michigan to 14-3 all-time against Princeton and 11-4 against Hartwick.
Release courtesy Michigan Athletic Communications
