ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan water polo freshmen Heidi Ritner and Maddy Steere provided a strong last line of defense opening weekend at the University of California-Santa Barbara Winter Invitational.
Ritner, a freshman goalkeeper from Newport Beach, California, made 47 saves and allowed only 33 goals in five games. Steere, a freshman center defender from Pascoe Vale, Australia, gave up just one natural goal out of two-meters, and that came on the first play of the season by senior first team All-America Brigitta Games of defending National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion/No. 2 University of Southern California.
The two newcomers are the last line of defense for a Michigan squad ranked No. 7 in the country.
“It is very rare when you get a freshman tandem coming in like that,” said head coach Marcelo Leonardi. “They are both talented water polo players, but they also bring in experience from their national team pipelines that most freshmen don’t get.”
Ritner started in goal for the U.S. Youth National Team at the Youth World Championships in December in New Zealand. Steere won a gold medal at the 2015 World University Games in South Korea. It is that experience that has them settled in, even against some of the top teams in the nation.
That national team experience had them playing like seasoned veterans and not nervous freshmen when going up against No. 2 USC in the season opener, a team that went undefeated last year and won the NCAA title.
“I was really excited to begin my first collegiate season,” said Ritner. “I was really comfortable with our team because we have been getting better and better in practice.”
Michigan held USC to its lowest goal total of the weekend with 11 goals. Ritner made 11 saves, and Steere scored two of the team’s three goals. The performance by the two freshmen was a sign of things to come.
“It was great to compete against some of the best in the country and see where we are at,” said Steere. “To be able to hold USC’s best players to one goal each was good to see.”
It is important for the center defender and goalkeeper to have good communication and to be on the same page. Ritner and Steere are roommates as freshmen, which has helped develop a good camaraderie between them in and out of the water.
“Heidi and I have a really good relationship,” said Steere. “We have a really good connection and faith in each other. We both have to communicate what we want in the defense. She knows what I want before I even say it.”
Steere is responsible for making the defensive calls, and Ritner’s job is to amplify that call to her teammates and position them to take away shot opportunities.
“They have to be on the same page,” said Leonardi. “Maddy is physically gifted. She is strong enough to go against the best centers in the country and does a really nice job in terms of her composure and collectiveness when the ball enters two meters. Heidi is fundamentally sound, has great leg strength and is a presence on the defensive end. She also has the ability to make dime passes on the outlet.”
The skillsets each one brings to Team 17 have already been on display as Michigan started 3-2 with both losses to top-three teams. U-M is the only team to hold No. 3 the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) to less than 15 goals (12-5 L). Ritner limited No. 8 UC-Santa Barbara to just four goals, while No. 22 California State University-Northridge and No. 23 California State University-Bakersfield each scored five or less. In the Bakersfield win, Ritner had nine saves and two goals allowed, and Steere had a field block.
“They are going to be together for four years,” said Leonardi. “They are both chasing Olympic dreams. It is exciting to see what they will be able to accomplish.”
For Michigan, having a last line of defense the caliber of Ritner and Steere is a good feeling.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
