After a disappointing loss to Hartford, the Virginia women's soccer team is hungry for a win. The Cavs hope to notch their first ACC victory tonight against N.C. State at Klockner Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Cavaliers will use today's match to work on certain aspects of their game. In the wake of Saturday's 1-0 loss to Hartford, when the Cavs outshot the Hawks 17-7 but could not capitalize on any opportunities, sophomore forward Alyssa Benitez said the team has worked on finishing scoring opportunities for today's game.
Consistency over the full 90 minutes was also a problem against Hartford, though Cav coach Steve Swanson said his team performed well after the Hawks scored the game's only goal in the 10th minute.
"We played a good 75 minutes of the game," Cav coach Steve Swanson said. "Sometimes results don't tell the full story."
The Cavaliers have several injured players. Last week in practice, sophomore defender Brooke Stastny and junior midfielder Heather Terry suffered knee injuries. Terry will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Stasny's status will be determined once her MRI results are in.
Junior midfielder Lori Lindsey, who missed the Hartford game with an ankle injury, is recovered enough to play today.
"The people who came in and played for them stepped up really well," Benitez said. "Some of the freshman are going to step up like they did against Hartford."
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On the other hand, coach Laura Kerrigan's Wolfpack will try to do with its ACC opener what the Hawks did Saturday: shut out the Cavs.
The Wolfpack is led by its three captains, junior Kelly Blaggie, senior Shannon Tully and sophomore Erin Bushey. Several newcomers, including forward Katherine Warman and midfielder Jaci Harper, also see significant time.
Kerrigan will try to attack Virginia offensively with her quick midfielders, sophomores Amy Bary and Rachel Durr, and hard-shooting senior forward Shannon Tully.
"We really need tomorrow night especially because they are in our conference," Cav freshman Kelly Melton said.