The Virginia women's lacrosse team is riding high following Saturday's upset of No. 3 North Carolina, but the Cavaliers must return to earth and back to the playing field today in a matchup that pits them against struggling University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
With their victory over Carolina, the Cavaliers (6-2, 2-0 ACC) verified their No. 6 national ranking and solidified their place as one of the nation's elite. The Retrievers stand at the opposite end of the lacrosse spectrum, managing their first win of the season in Sunday's game against Central Connecticut.
Although Virginia recognizes UMBC is not the same caliber team as the Tarheels, the Cavaliers refuse to overlook their opponent.
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"We want to keep the same kind of mindset against University of Maryland-Baltimore County as we had against North Carolina," midfielder Amy Appelt said. "It doesn't matter who you're playing. Every game's a big game."
Saturday's UNC game could well be Appelt's break-out performance. The two-time high school All-American and freshman from Garden City, N.Y., notched five goals and one assist, making her the team's second leading scorer for the season.
"I thought it was my time to step up," Appelt said.
Besides Appelt, All-American midfielder Lauren Aumiller and sophomore attacker Caitlin Banks, the reigning ACC freshman of the year, will lead the offensive attack. So far this season, the Appelt-Aumiller-Banks trio has combined for 58 goals and 35 assists in eight games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Andrea Pfeiffer and freshman defender Elizabeth Pinney, whose performance last week earned her honorable mention national player of the week honors, anchor the Cavalier defense.
The quick turnaround between Saturday's victory and the contest against UMBC causes coach Julie Myers to speak about the game with a hint of caution.
"Monday is the only day we have to prepare for UMBC," Myers said. "We want to focus on what we're going to do. It's important for us to control the tempo and concentrate on the way we play our game."
Although the Retrievers stand at 1-3, their explosiveness - demonstrated in their 22-goal outburst against Central Connecticut - also is cause for concern for Virginia.
Senior midfielder Jamie Gerhart leads the attack for UMBC. In four games, Gerhart has tallied nine goals and six assists.
The two teams share one common opponent, and the Cavaliers' success and the Retrievers' struggles against Old Dominion bode well for Virginia.
In their matchup against ODU, the Cavaliers jumped out to a 10-0 lead before finally winning the match 16-4. UMBC, however, lost 12-6 to the Monarchs March 10, four days after the Virginia-Old Dominion matchup.
The Cavaliers can also draw confidence from their past success against UMBC. In 15 previous meetings with the Retrievers, Virginia is unbeaten and has won by eight or more goals 13 times.
National prominence gained, Virginia shifts its focus from proving itself an elite team to competing as an elite team. A sizeable and convincing victory over the UMBC would mark the first step in that process.
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