Robertson Powers No. 11 Michigan Past Marist 9-7 to Advance to NCAA Championship Fifth Place Game

COLLEGE PARK, Md. --  Leah Robertson (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) scored four goals to lead No. 11-ranked and Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) champion University of Michigan to a 9-7 win over Metro Athletic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Marist College to advance to the fifth place game at the 2009 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship hosted by the University of Maryland.

The win marks Michigan's third victory over the Red Foxes (18-15) this as the Wolverines  (34-9) previously hung 10-2 and 10-7 (exhibition) losses on Marist in Ann Arbor, Mich. on March 14 and 15, respectively.  Further, it marks the second consecutive year in which Michigan has handled Marist to advance to the fifth place game as the Maize and Blue downed the Red and White 7-4 last year at Stanford University's Avery Aquatic Center. 

The game was a story of both teams seeking a knockout blow as the Red Foxes pulled out to a 2-0 lead in the first 92 seconds of the game, saw Michigan pull even at 2-2 and wrestled back-and-forth with the Wolverines for the momentum for 24 of the game's 32 minutes.

Rachel Sunday (Jr., Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) staked the Foxes to the early 2-0 lead as she connected on shots into the upper left and right 90s o fthe cage at 7:16 and 6:28, respectively, of the first period.  However, the Wolverines scratched their way back into the game thanks to back-to-back tallies from Robertson and Mary Chatigny (Sr., Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) at 4:44 and 4:19 to pull even.

Marist went back in front by a pair as Samantha Swartz (Jr., Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) whipped in an exclusion score at 3:46 and Katelin McCahill (Sr., East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) converted on an even-strength chance at 3:13 to go ahead 4-2, but Michigan came back in the final 92 seconds of the period with a shot-and-score by Julie Hyrne (Sr., Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) at the 1:32 mark and a rocket by Robertson which eluded Marist netminder Jessica Getchius (Jr., Simi Valley, Calif./Ventura JC) with 54 seconds remaining in the period to set the score at 4-4.

The second period was the reverse of the first as neither team could find the back of the cage until Robertson broke the scoring drought with a marker at the 4:10 mark.  However, an ejection on Michigan's Carrie Frost (Sr., Saline, Mich./Saline) with 2:38 to go in the half allowed the Red Foxes to pull even before the break as Angie Rampton (Jr., Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) converted on the extra-woman chance with 2:17 showing on the clock.

Michigan appeared to gain an advantage in the third period as Marist's Colleen Lischwe (So., Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) was rolled from the game with 5:27 left on a game misconduct.  Facing a Red Foxes' squad short a starter, the Wolverines' went in front for the second time as Robertson beat Getchius on a man-up chance for a 6-5 Maize and Blue lead with 4:59 on the clock.

Frost pushed the margin to a pair with 32 seconds left in the period with another exclusion score, but Marist answered with a score by Rosie Pauli (So., Sacramento, Calif./St. Francis) with a second left on the clock to move to within 7-6 with a period of play remaining in the contest.

The goal marked the fourth last second score allowed by Michigan in their two NCAA games this year as the Wolverines permitted final second scores by No. 3-ranked University of California-Los Angeles in a 13-6 loss to the Bruins in the first round.

Unlike their first round game, Michigan answered quickly to put the game to rest against Marist as Sharayah Hernandez (Sr., Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) pumped in a marker with 5:35 left in the fourth period for the eventual game-winner and Hyrne tacked on an insurance goal at 3:58 to go ahead 9-6.

Marist attempted to rally back, but could only manage an advantage goal by McCahill with 23 seconds to go for the 9-7 final.

Michigan goalie Brittany May (Sr., Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) notched five saves to earn the win for the Wolverines, while Getchius took the loss for the Red Foxes in lieu of 11 saves.

"You come to the NCAA tournament with the idea to continue to win and move forward. We came in with the object of being in the top four. Not winning allowed us to come out and play a game we didn't want to be in. I knew that was going to happen. I call it `playing like you have a hangover.' It takes a little while for the talent and the intensity to pick up. We fell behind 4-2 but for the next 24 minutes we outscored them, 7-3," noted Michigan head coach Matt Anderson following the game.

"I told the young ladies this was a game no one wanted to be in, if they feel like they could be in the final four, which we did, then tomorrow's game is one we do want to be in because you always want to finish as high as you can and we have a chance to finish fifth."

Michigan will meet the victor of a second round game between Division III No. 1 ranked California Lutheran Univeristy and No. 9 Loyola Marymount University in the fifth place game at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, while Marist will take on the loser of the Cal-Lutheran/LMU game at 1:30 p.m. in the seventh place game.

Michgian Goals: Leah Robertson (4); Julie Hyrne (2); Carrie Frost; Mary Chatigny; Sharayah Hernandez

Marist Goals: Rachel Sunday (2); Katelin McCahill (2); Samantha Swartz; Angie Rampton; Rosie Pauli

Shots: Michigan - 33 ; Marist - 17

Saves: Michigan - Brittany May (5) ; Marist - Jessica Getchius (11)

Ejections: Michigan - 6 ; Marist - 8

Advantage Opportunities: Michigan - 2 of 8 ; Marist - 3 of 6

Sprints: Michigan - 3 (Keller Felt - 2nd, Carrie Frost - 3rd, Kelsey Haley - 4th) ; Marist - 1 (Colleen Lischwe - 1st)

Mary Chatigny scores on Marist's Jessica Getchius in the first period