ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan water polo team knocked off conference foe Bucknell University, 9-5, before cruising past the University of California-Merced, 14-4, to close out its hosting of the Michigan Invitational at Canham Natatorium.
Lola Ciruli led Michigan’s offensive efforts against Bucknell with three goals, while Emma Gustafsson recorded three points (one goal, two assists) as well as two steals. Alex Brown made 10 saves and provided one assist. A total of 10 Wolverines recorded points with seven different goal scorers in the game.
The first quarter consisted of numerous turnovers and shots on goal for both teams, but the game remained scoreless for more than four minutes. Bucknell scored first, taking advantage of a penalty on Michigan with 3:27 left in the opening eight minutes. Michigan responded with goals from Gustafsson and Brooke Ingram to take a 2-1 lead before Bucknell tied the score in the closing seconds of the first quarter. The Wolverines added three more goals in the second quarter and led 5-3 by halftime.
The third quarter saw an early Bucknell goal, while Michigan had numerous scoring chances but its only goal came from Kaia Levenfeld at the 1:16 mark. U-M closed out their 9-5 victory with two more goals from Ciruli in the fourth quarter and a goal from Jordan Schneider with 16 seconds remaining in the game.
Gustafsson paced the U-M attack against UC-Merced with six points (three goals, three assists), while Riley Chapple tallied four points with two goals and two assists. In total, 12 players tallied a point in the game with nine Wolverines scoring a goal in the balanced offensive effort.
Katie Delaney started in net for U-M and tallied seven saves while allowing only four goals in a solid outing for the freshman.
The Maize and Blue got off to a fast start in the opening period as four Wolverines found the back of the net, while UC-Merced tallied just on to make the score 4-1 after one quarter.
Michigan extended its lead even further in the second, outscoring the Bobcats 6-1 in the frame. Kata Utassy was the highlight of the quarter, scoring two goals within two minutes, fueling a 10-2 halftime lead for the Wolverines.
The third quarter was quiet for both offenses with both sides scoring once in the period, with Michigan maintaining its eight-goal advantage, 11-3, after three periods. In the fourth quarter, a pair of Kasey Umlauf goals sandwiched an Alison Lock tally to power Michigan to a comfortable 14-4 win to end the Michigan Invitational on a high note.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
