Consistency is key in any sport, and in a way, the No. 7 Michigan water polo team was consistent during this weekend’s Triton Invitational in San Diego.

All day Saturday, the Wolverine defense was consistently solid, generating two wins. On Sunday, the defense was consistently and uncharacteristically poor, leading to two consecutive losses.

“As great of a defensive effort as it was (Saturday), (Sunday) it was terrible,” Michigan coach Matt Anderson said. “Inconsistency is going to kill you when you’re playing top (teams).”

For the Wolverine team that prides itself on defense, it really was a tale of two teams.

Michigan won its two games on Saturday to qualify for the semifinals. But on Sunday, the Wolverines failed to convert on their power play opportunities in a 10-7 loss to No. 6 Loyola Marymount. In 10 power play tries, Michigan converted just once, while the Lions scored three times with the advantage and once on a penalty shot.

“They beat us by three, they scored three more goals on the power play,” Anderson said. “And when you have two evenly matched teams — same as in hockey — whoever wins the power play battle is going to win the game.”

In its 14-12 loss against No. 9 San Diego State in the third-place game, Michigan simply allowed too many goals. In the second quarter alone, the Wolverines allowed the Aztecs to explode for five goals. Michigan can credit the defensive unraveling to power plays, slow reaction to ball movement, and lack of effort and consistency.

“Twelve goals against a top-10 team should win every time,” Anderson said.

Aside from power plays, the offense was generally productive. Sophomore Lauren Colton netted five goals on the day and senior Alison Mantel recorded her second playmaker — which consists of three assists in a game — of the tournament.

What’s surprising is how well Michigan performed on defense just one day before. On a historic Saturday, when the team limited the opposition to just four total goals, the team recorded its fifth shutout in program history and crowned a new Michigan assist leader.

After a 15-4 victory over No. 20 Marist, in which junior Meagan Cobb and Colton both recorded hat tricks, the Wolverines shut out a Long Beach State squad that was fresh off an upset victory over No. 12 UC-Santa Barbara. Sophomore Alex Adamson, who had 11 stops on the day, became just the second Michigan goalie to record a full-game shutout.

But the shutout may have been overshadowed by Mantel’s historic game against Marist. Entering the game, Mantel needed just one assist to tie Erin Brown's school record of 133. Her three assists in the Wolverines’ 15-4 victory put her in sole possession of the Michigan record.

“She can score the ball, she can pass the ball, she’s a complete offensive player,” Anderson said. “She deserves a record like that so I’m glad that she got it.”

The success on Saturday, however, only emphasized the missed opportunity on Sunday.

“It was disappointing,” Mantel said on Sunday. “We played great yesterday, and today we just kind of fell apart.”