HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Gaia Hinds (Sr., Malibu, Calif.) scored six times – including a trio in the fourth quarter to allow her team to claim victory – as No. 4-ranked/Southwest Division Champion the University of California-San Diego topped No. 7/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan, 10-7, in the Third Place game of the 2022 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
Making only the second appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship in program history – following a Fifth Place mark in 2018 at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore. – UC-San Diego needed to put together a second half rally to acquire a positive outcome.
The game was a story of 14 minute intervals as Michigan built a two-goal lead in the first half prior to the Tritons outscoring the Wolverines 5-1 in the second half to overcome the deficit and claim victory.
Elaina Baker (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Rylee Brower (Naperville, Ill.) broke the ice and staked the Maize & Blue to an early 2-0 advantage as the duo deposited shots at the 5:06 and 4:37 marks of the first quarter, respectively. UC-San Diego rallied back via man-up (2:39) and natural (2:06) strikes, but Meredith Holm (Walnut Creek, Calif.) reclaimed the advantage for Michigan by burying a tally with 1:16 on the clock to put the Wolverines back in front at 3-2.
Kimberly Holland (Jr., Tustin, Calif.) retied the game at three-all with 4:12 left in the second quarter, but heaves by Lucy Baker (Grandville, Mich.) (3:57) and Anna Leone (Ypsilanti, Mich.) (1:48) put the Wolverines back in front by a pair at 5-3.
Hinds chipped a goal off UC-San Diego’s deficit at 1:34 by lining in a five-meter penalty shot to make it 5-4, Claire Tuttle (Hudsonville, Mich.) (1:26) reinflated the margin to 6-4 and Amanda Martilla (So., Canyon Lake, Calif.) inched UC-San Diego back to within a goal (6-5, four seconds) heading into halftime.
The game turned on Martilla’s marker as Natalie Kaplanyan (Fr., Glendale, Calif.) and Holland put away shots at 6:28 and 3:21 to account for a 2-0 burst in the third quarter in placing the Tritons ahead 7-6 with seven minutes left in regulation.
Brower knotted the score at eight-all at the 3:42 mark of the fourth quarter, but even-strength (3:20, 15 seconds) and penalty shot (1:03) scores by Hinds down the stretch allowed UC-San Diego to escape with a 10-7 win for the best all-time finish by the Tritons at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Hinds (six) and Holland (two) both posted multi-goal games with Kaplanyan and Martilla accounting for solo tallies.
In cage, Lian Lumada (Sr., Long Beach, Calif.) turned aside eight shots to garner the victory.
Brower finished with two goals for Michigan, while Tuttle, Elaina Baker, Leone, Lucy Baker and Holm each dented the twine once. Emily Jacoby (Detroit, Mich.) made eight saves in taking the loss as Michigan adds a sixth place finish to a legacy that includes prior second (2010, 2014, 2016), third (2007, 2011, 2015), fourth (2012, 2013) and seventh (2009) finishes in the program’s previous trips to Nationals.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 7 University of Michigan |
3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | – | 7 |
| No. 4 University of California-San Diego | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | – | 10 |
| UCSD Goals: | Gaia Hinds (6); Kimberly Holland (2); Natalie Kaplanyan; Amanda Martilla | |||||
| Michigan Goals: | Rylee Brower (2); Claire Tuttle; Elaina Baker; Anna Leone; Lucy Baker; Meredith Holm | |||||
| Saves: | UCSD – Lian Lumada (8) ; Michigan – Emily Jacoby (8) | |||||
| Exclusions: | UCSD – 0 ; Michigan – 6 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UCSD – 3-for-6 ; Michigan – 0-for-0 | |||||
| Sprints: | UCSD – 0-for-4 ; Michigan – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Michigan (Head coach David Abbott, 4 seconds left in 2nd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Brandon Nicholson; Michael Francis | |||||
University of Michigan’s Meredith Holm (#25) peaks an opening as the University of California-San Diego’s Sarah Horne (#10) defends
University of Michigan’s Emily Jacoby (#1)
University of California-San Diego bench cheers
