Last year's 16-6 loss to Maryland in the NCAA Tournament Final whetted the appetite of the Virginia women's lacrosse team. This season, the Cavaliers are eager to satisfy that national title hunger - with a side of turtle soup.
The thoughts of the No. 3 Cavs (1-0) are on No. 16 Syracuse, against whom they open their season tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at Klöckner Stadium, but daydreams of exacting revenge on Maryland and other rivals are never far from the surface.
"Everybody's been to the final game except for the four first-years," senior midfielder Kelly Allenbach said. "I think everybody is just ready to finish it. Everyone's seen what the Final Four is like, and it's fun, but it [is] not that fun to be second over and over again."
But a host of very talented ACC teams stand in the way of the Cavaliers' national title hopes.
As the defending national champs, the No. 1 Terrapins remain the team to beat. But for the first time in recent history, Virginia believes that it has a legitimate shot at overturning the Terps and winning the ACC and national title.
"I think this is the first year we haven't had people questioning" if Virginia can beat Maryland, senior defender Ashley Widger said.
The 2000 Cavaliers, who squashed Richmond 12-4 Wednesday on the road, field an impressive array of battle-tested veterans. Senior attacker Jamie Haas, who led the team in scoring last year with 39 goals and earned an honorable mention preseason All-American nod this season, notched four goals against the Spiders and will look to extend her scoring streak to 20 games against Syracuse tomorrow.
Haas "seems like she can score at will a lot of times throughout the game," Myers said. "I think she will lead the attack."
Junior Mills Hook, the 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year and sophomore Molly Cangemi join Haas on the attack. Allenbach also will move up from the midfield at times to add another scoring threat.
Sophomore Gina Sambus, an NCAA All-Tournament selection last year, also should contribute plenty of points from her midfield spot. Sambus scored 18 goals in her rookie season and is expected to play a larger role with the departures of Jess Hull, Samm Taylor and Mia Mooney, three of Virginia's top four scorers in 1999.
"Gina Sambus has got to be one of the most athletic kids on the lacrosse field," Myers said. "The things she can do with her body and her stick and the ball are just amazing."
Senior attacker Meredith Elwell, a field hockey star who earned a starting spot on the lacrosse team as well, elected not to play lacrosse this year.
Myers expects an immediate impact from freshman Lauren Aumiller, the captain of the U.S. under-19 team that won the IFWLA World Championship in September. In her first collegiate game, Aumiller tallied a hat trick, scoring three goals against the Spiders Wednesday.
Aumiller "came in with a ton of experience and an ability to dominate," Myers said. "Lauren's one of those kids that the day that she got here, it's like she's been here for four years. She's not a typical eyes-wide-open first year."
As is typical of Myers' teams, the 2000 squad will be led not by offensive firepower, but by a stifling defense. The Cav's defense features two senior All-Americans, Widger and Stephy Samaras, who join senior Alissa DeCarlo on the back line. All-American midfielder Amy Fromal, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, will also contribute to the talented group.
Perhaps the only weakness for the Cavaliers is in net. Although senior Francis Segarra was the starting goalie Wednesday, sophomores Liz McCarthy and Mary Beth LaVerghetta are nipping at her heels, pushing for playing time.
Though their sights are set on the national title, the Cavs realize they must not get ahead of themselves.
"We want to win so bad that I hope we don't get ahead of ourselves and forget that we have to win all those games to get there," Allenbach said.
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