BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan water polo team fell 12-8 to No. 20 Wagner College before securing a 15-14 victory over host/No. 12 Indiana University on day one of the Midwest Invitational at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
Kasey Umlauf led the Wolverines’ offensive effort against Wagner with two goals on three shots. Madie Ambrose started in net for U-M and tallied 10 saves through the contest.
The Wolverines controlled the first half with a dominant defensive performance and efficient scoring. Kaia Levenfeld opened the game with a goal, followed by quick strikes from Umlauf and Brooke Ingram to give Michigan a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Maize and Blue continued to produce on the offensive end of the pool as Emma Gustafsson and Lulu Hirschfield capitalized on power-play opportunities to make it a 5-1 game. Michigan’s aggressive defense and key saves from Ambrose limited Wagner’s scoring chances. With under two minutes to play in the first half, Emilia Mladjan netted her first goal of the season to give U-M a 6-1 lead.
However, momentum shifted after halftime, as Wagner scored four consecutive goals to cut Michigan’s lead to 6-5. Issy Jackson responded to make it 7-5, but the Seahawks struck twice more to knot the game. Umlauf netted her second goal of the game, keeping the Wolverines ahead 8-7 after the third.
Michigan could not stop Wagner, as the Seahawks scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
In game two, Indiana struck first, but Ari Karampetsou quickly responded, evening the score at 1-1 within the opening minute. The Hoosiers then netted four consecutive goals to take a 5-1 lead. Karampetsou then fired back-to-back goals to cut the deficit, followed by tallies from Jillian Schlom and Gustafsson to make it a 6-5 game in favor of Indiana at the end of the first frame.
Karampetsou continued her scoring, tallying a pair of goals before Indiana tied the game at seven apiece. The two squads traded goals before Schlom completed her hat trick to put Michigan ahead 9-8. Jackson added another goal before the half, sending the Maize and Blue into the break ahead 10-8.
The Hoosiers fought back in the third, evening the game at 10 before junior Riley Chapple put U-M back on top. Indiana briefly tied the game before Karampetsou scored her sixth goal of the game to put the Wolverines ahead 12-11 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Indiana scored three times, but the Michigan defense led by goaltender Sophia Bunnell stopped the Hoosiers. Her two big stops with less than two minutes remaining sealed the Wolverines’ one-goal victory.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
