May 9, 2009
Postgame Quotes
Game 5: No. 6 Michigan 9, No. 7 Marist 7
Michigan Wolverines
Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the game:
"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. 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."
On what changed the momentum and who led the comeback:
"We got a couple of counters. It was probably Leah Robertson. Two games in a row she has been amazing out there. She got that counter attack goal at the end of the first period (to tie the game at 4-all). She really didn't have any place to put it but found the back of the net. I think that energized the team. Everybody kind of followed her lead after that."
Marist Red Foxes
Head Coach Ashleigh Jacobs
On the game:
"We definitely started off like we wanted to, forcing mistakes. We knew we were going to have to take Leah Robertson out of the game, obviously she's proven herself throughout the season and at this tournament as one of their leading players. That was pretty much the game plan, did a match-to-match, Rachel Sunday did a great job with that. Some breakdowns and some unlucky things happened along the way. One of our fastest players on the team was taken out in the second quarter so it's not always fun to play a half without her. Overall, I think it was very good effort by our team, a very strong team effort. Jessica Getchius played outstanding."
On the tempo of the game:
"Water polo is a game of tempo, swings, big swings and momentum. When we started off, we knew we had to come out very strong and jump on the lead early and we were able to do that. We pulled off some nice counter attacks. Defensively, we figured each other out. It was more of a one-on-one battle after that. Every team here made it to the NCAAs, Michigan the same. So they've been battle-tested. They've gotten a lot of experience this year, played very strong teams throughout the year. We knew that water polo is water polo, a 21-pick is a 21-pick, a 32, a 34. You've seen it, you know how to adapt to it after a little while. It's all about execution. The second half we weren't able to execute a few of our options; our passing was off. Our passing truthfully killed our latter-half of our third and fourth quarters. With tighter passes it very well could have been a different game."
On whether nerves played a role in today's loss:
"It was just hunger for the game. Sometimes you try a little bit too hard, and unfortunately that sometimes forces the pass to be slightly off and spin-off the finger the wrong way. It's not nerves by any means. These girls are tested now. It's just a matter of wanting something very bad and having the composure to execute. That is what we'll try to do tomorrow."
Junior Goalkeeper Jessica Getchius
On the team's defense:
"Our defense is completely a team thing. I know I feed off of our players when they're playing good defense, I play good defense, and vice versa. I think we came out very strong in the first two quarters."
Game 6: No. 5 Loyola Marymount 12, No. 8 Cal Lutheran 6
Loyola Marymount Lions
Head Coach John Loughran
On grinding out a win:
"People were still pretty tired from yesterday's physical game and it took us a little while to get into the flow of the game. I thought we had a great third quarter trying to get some separation there and shut things down. I think we did a good job defensively in the third. I think coming around from where we were yesterday when we really didn't finish off the game too well it took our team a little to get going. But we had some good execution and some nice passes, nice assists, and I thought the team stuck together and played hard."
On the third quarter and turning the game around:
"I think the level that they play, the style that they play is something new for us; it's a little bit slower and a little bit more mechanical. We made the adjustments at halftime and we came out and showed them how in the third quarter and the team really listened and made the adjustments that we needed to make. I think one of the turning points was when they called a timeout at 6-on-5 and stopping the 6-on-5 and then countering out to have a two-goal turnaround. That was in the third quarter and I think we did a nice job with that. I think [goalkeeper Eliana Arellano] did a nice job. Their slowed down offense really stopped us from countering at times and then they would just look for a long outside shot and Eliana made some nice saves."
Cal Lutheran Regals
Head Coach Craig Rond
On overall thoughts of the game:
"I think that our team played with a great amount of heart. I was pleased with our first-half effort after coming out of the block giving up five goals, which I think were nervous goals. We held them to one goal in the second quarter and being down 6-4 (at the half) was kind of a delight for our program. It's a testimony to how far we've come in a couple of years. It was nice to make it a competitive showing."
On the improved play in the second quarter:
"Just making defensive adjustments, calming the girls down and getting them all on the same page as to what defense we were running really went a long way. Coming out of the blocks they were still skeptical about the defense and were we really going to stop a team like LMU. But once we had a little success in the second quarter I thought the girls kind of jumped on (board) and understood that the defensive adjustments would work."
Junior 2MO Joy Cyprian
On rebounding from yesterday's loss to USC:
"It was kind of hard to look at this morning, especially after playing such a hard game yesterday. But we're here to represent and that's something that's been really big for our program and something our coach has instilled in us. We want not only to represent for Cal Lutheran but also for Division III as a whole."
On the defensive effort:
"We tend to be a second-half team. I can't explain why. Definitely intensity and getting a little warmed up and getting used to what they're running (helped us), because sometimes teams throw different things at us. We needed to figure who their shooters are and adjust accordingly.
Game 7: No. 1 USC 17, No. 4 Hawai'i 5
USC Trojans
Head Coach Jovan Vavic
On the match:
"Our defense did a great job in forcing Hawai'i to take bad-angle shots and our goalie was outstanding, she really made some great saves. It was a great team effort, we had eight girls who scored, and our 6-on-5 was very good, we converted eight extra-man opportunities and a penalty shot. We played with a lot of energy and we were excited to be in this game."
On preparing for the championship game:
"Every game is different and tomorrow is a different game, but every time you win and you win big it's a good preparation. Hawai'i was tired; I think the LMU game took a lot out of them. They aren't very deep, so we could see that they did not have the energy to stay with us. This was an easy game and that is why the number one seed is so important, because you have an easier match and more energy."
Freshman Goalie Ilse van der Meijden
On the match:
"We started pretty good. Our offense was super and on defense we did what we had to do. We knew that they post up a lot and run a lot of picks, so we watched what they did and knew what they were going to do."
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine
Head Coach Michel Roy
On his thoughts on the game:
"We had opportunities in the game to tie it or kept it close, but USC is a great team and they have a lot of depth. Basically what we did yesterday killed out top seven to eight players that we play with. We don't have as much depth; power to them. They played great, they played hard. They are a great team and very well coached. Jovan (Vavic) is an amazing tactician."
On how the team got behind early:
"It was a little bit of everything. We missed a few shots that could have kept us in the game. But when you are down 4-0, 5-0, it's hard to mentally see that you can come back. They kept coming at us. They went six in (to the pool) and six out, and I could only go one in and one out. I wish them the best of luck in the finals."
Game 8: No. 3 UCLA 12, No. 2 Stanford 11
UCLA Bruins
Head Coach Adam Krikorian
On the victory:
"I'm glad we won because that was probably my worst managed game in my coaching career. I played one of our best players with two fouls in the second quarter. I accidentally called a timeout at the end of the game that gave them the game-tying goal. But, I was glad the team stepped up. It was one of the gutsiest wins I've been fortunate enough to be a part of."
On the USC-UCLA matchup tomorrow:
"Tomorrow's game is a rematch of last year's championship and an exciting opportunity to play our crosstown rival. They looked unbeatable today playing Hawaii. No question, it's going to be a difficult game, but now we've got to regroup and prepare to play the best team in the nation."
Stanford Cardinal
Head Coach John Tanner
On the game:
"We knew it was going to be a very physical game and that they were going to come out with a ton of emotion and play with complete abandon. They did and we withstood that. We were doing great and as they started wearing down, we started attacking and got that lead. Then we had a couple of defensive breakdowns and they scored on their opportunity at the end. They were impressive in those last four or five minutes when they needed to be. They certainly outplayed us in the first quarter and in those last five minutes, but I thought we were the better team the rest of the time. That was an impressive performance; they just kept making plays at the end of the game."
On Stanford only scoring 3 first half goals:
"Our offense wasn't really that bad. We stabilized things and took advantage of our strengths and started scoring on our 6-on-5s. We were a little frantic at the beginning of the game, but we got calmer as it went along. I think on offense we were in good shape, I just wish we could have gotten the game into overtime."
