ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated Bucknell University, 16-3, and Saint Francis University, 19-5, in Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) competition on the final day of the Wolverine Invitational at Canham Natatorium.
Issy Jackson led Michigan on the day with eight points (six goals, two assists). Alex Brown keyed the Wolverines defensively with 11 saves, while only allowing five goals and adding in three assists.
Erin Neustrom got the Maize and Blue rolling with back-to-back goals just one minute apart versus Bucknell. Lola Ciruli fired a shot to the back of the net to give Michigan an early 3-0 lead. Kata Utassy took advantage of a Bison penalty and put the ball in the back of the net off a penalty shot. Bucknell scored with four minutes left before Fiona Young struck back, giving U-M back a four-goal lead.
Jackson wasted little time scoring in the second quarter, pushing Michigan ahead 6-1 just 16 seconds into the period. Alison Lock got in on the fun with a goal of her own to provide U-M a 7-1 lead. Bucknell put the ball past the defense for its second and third goals of the game prior to Ashley O’Neill connecting on a penalty shot to make the score 8-3. Sophie Tovani fired a bullet cross-cage to give Michigan its ninth goal of the game. Neustrom then scored back-to-back goals to end the quarter giving U-M an 11-3 lead.
The second half saw five Michigan goals, three coming from Riley Chapple and one each from Lock and one from O’Neill. Madie Ambrose kept the Bison to only three goals on the game and zero in the second half.
Michigan was led by Chapple, who recorded six points (three goals, three assists), while Ambrose recorded eight saves with two steals.
The Wolverines’ second game of the day against Saint Francis saw 10 different Michigan athletes combining for 19 goals and two hat tricks. In the first half alone there were 10 U-M goals scored.
Sammi Monroe got the scoring started just 45 seconds into the first quarter. Brooke Ingram and Tovani each chipped in one, while Libby Alsemgeest sandwiched a Tovani goal to give the Wolverines a 5-1 lead after one quarter.
It was more of the same in the second period, with O’Neill getting things going by scoring off a long pass from Brown. Lock recorded back-to-back goals before the Red Flash snuck one by Brown to pull within six goals at 8-2. Jackson and O’Neill each chipped in one more goal before the half to give Michigan a 10-3 lead after on half.
In the second half, Michigan scored nine goals — four of them coming from Jackson. She recorded paris in the third and fourth quarters to set a career high with five goals. Lock chipped in her third goal of the game, earning a hat trick. Lulu Hirschfield, Grace Harbaugh, Ingram and Chapple each recorded markers to give Michigan the 19-5 win over the Red Flash.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
