LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The bench stepped up as the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan water polo team opened the Loyola Marymount University Invitational with wins over host/No. 23 LMU (8-7 W) and No. 15 Long Beach State University (14-4 W) at the Burns Aquatic Center.
After a narrow win to start the day, the Wolverines had a tremendous all-around effort in a 10-goal victory to close out day one of the LMU Invite. Every member of the travel party saw playing time as U-M improved to 15-8 on the year.
It was a big day for the Johnson sisters as Danielle Johnson and Kim Johnson combined for 10 goals, six assists, 10 steals and four field blocks in the two games. Kim Johnson, Michigan’s leading scorer on the year, tallied seven goals and five assists.
The host school, Loyola Marymount, gave the Wolverines a battle to start the LMU Invite. Michigan never led by more than two goals, and LMU had a 2-1 lead after the first quarter.
The Wolverines’ defense gave them an advantage as they racked up 14 steals in the game. Sisters Danielle Johnson and Kim Johnson each had four steals on the defensive end while leading the team in scoring as well. Danielle scored a hat trick, and Kim notched two goals and two assists.
U-M scored three of the first four goals in the third quarter to gain the edge after the game was tied at 3-3 going into halftime. Danielle Johnson scored two of her three goals in the period, while fellow captain Allison Skaggs added an inside goal to help U-M lead 6-5 heading into the fourth.
The Lions twice cut Michigan’s lead to one goal, but the Wolverines came up with answers to stay ahead. Kim Johnson lobbed her second goal of the game in late in the fourth to seal it.
Junior Caroline Anderson, the school’s career assists leader, had a big game with five assists vs. LMU to go with a goal. Freshman goalkeeper Heidi Ritner moved into the top five for wins by a Michigan freshman, tying her teammate Emily Browning. Ritner had four saves in the contest.
Facing Long Beach State, the Wolverines controlled from start to finish, but five goals in both the second and third periods blew the game wide open.
The defense was stellar once again, holding the Beach to just four goals. It was the seventh time this year that Ritner and the Wolverines held an opponent to less than five goals. She had eight saves before giving away to her classmate Cameron Cordial, who added two saves and gave up one of the four Long Beach goals.
Kim Johnson posted five goals and three assists. The eight points are a career best. Johnson was great and so was the bench. Michigan’s “bench mob” combined for five goals and four assists. The catalysts were sophomore Delaney Cleveland (two goals, two assists) and junior Laura Jimenez (one goal, two assists).
Freshmen Skyler Pyle and Alex Corbett also got into the scoring column for their third and fourth goals, respectively.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
