ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated No. 15 Harvard University, 15-8, behind six goals from Kata Utassy during Senior Day inside Canham Natatorium.
Utassy led the Wolverines offensively with eight points, including a career-high six goals and two assists. Alex Brown handled business between pipes with 12 saves as the Maize & Blue clinched the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division Championship at Princeton University.
Michigan kicked things off with a 3-0 first-quarter start. Elise Walker fired a bullet from deep to the top right corner of the goal to put Michigan on top, 1-0. Utassy lobbed the ball over the keeper to make it 2-0, while Erin Neustrom found the back of the net. Brown held the Crimson to zero goals in the first quarter with five saves.
The Wolverines continued to roll in the second — with five goals and only allowing one. Walker chipped in two for a hat trick. Ava Morrant dented the twine and Ashley O’Neill scored on a half-court shot, while Issy Jackson put the Wolverines up 8-1 at the end of the first half. The Crimson found the back of the net for the first time, sneaking it just past Brown.
Utassy struck first for U-M in the second half, scoring back-to-back times with her second and third goal — earning the second hat trick of the game for the Wolverines with a shot to the back of the net. Harvard scored three times before Utassy scored her fourth goal on a penalty shot, giving Michigan an 11-4 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the final quarter, the Crimson started strong with back-to-back-to-back goals, cutting the Michigan lead to four. However, Morrant blasted the ball through the Crimson defense to give U-M back a five-goal lead. Utassy scored two more times for her fifth and sixth goals to end the game.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
