May 1, 2011
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
One day after a disheartening loss in the semifinals to Michigan, the Maryland water polo team bounced back with one of its grittier performances of the season.
Elina Goldenberg scored all three of her goals in the second half, including the game winner, to power the the fourth-seeded Terrapins to a 7-6 upset win over No. 2 seed Hartwick Sunday in the third-place game of the CWPA Eastern Championship.
The Terps (19-14) had a four-goal outburst in the third period and held their first lead of the game.
Goldenberg's score with 2:36 left in the quarter gave Maryland a 6-5 lead, but Hartwick's Sasha Freeborn tied it 15 seconds later.
Goldenberg, playing in her last game as a Terp along with four seniors, answered back, driving home the game winner on the man-advantage with 2:35 left in the game.
For the 19th-ranked Terps it tied their best ever finish in the Eastern Championship. Maryland knocked off Brown in the 2009 third-place contest.
"We bounced back," Maryland head coach Carl Salyer said. "Sometimes the third-place game is a hard one to play since we both wanted to be in the championship game."
Maryland trailed 2-0 early and then 4-2 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback.
Junior Shelby Reyes had 11 saves for Maryland which beat 12th-ranked Hartwick for first time in eight tries.
Lisa Bass had three goals and Freeborn had two for the Hawks
"I'm proud of the team," Salyer said. "Our team really came a long way. The seniors did a great job. Elina was huge. Ally Beck was solid and Meghan Powers gave us energy and heart."
Allison Campbell, the CWPA Southern Division Player of the Year, also had a goal. The sophomore was a first team all-tournament selection.
Salyer was the Doc Hunkler Coach of the Tournament.
Third-seeded Indiana upset No. 1 seed Michigan, 5-3, in Sunday's championship game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be held May 13-15 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Results
Sunday, May 1
Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center
No. 19 Maryland 7, No. 12 Hartwick 6
1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UMD (19-14) 0 2 4 1 7
Hartwick 1 2 3 0 6
Maryland Goals: Goldenberg 3, Hoshko, Murphy, Campbell, Powers
Hartwick Goals: Bass 3, Freeborn 2, Analytis
Saves: Reyes (Maryland) 11, Dorman (Hartwick) 6
