Riding a four-game winning streak, the No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse team (9-2, 2-0 ACC) travels to Durham, N.C., to challenge the No. 6 Blue Devils (5-3, 1-1) Saturday at noon. Losing three of their last four, the Blue Devils will be looking to improve against the Cavaliers.
Virginia, looking to complete a perfect ACC regular season, has asserted its dominance over the last four games. While notching convincing wins over Temple, University of Maryland-Baltimore County and James Madison, the Cavalier women also upset the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels. Coach Julie Myers believes the Cavaliers' last game, a 15-7 win over JMU, provides an excellent setup for Saturday's game.
"I always think that the James Madison game is good preparation for the Duke game," Myers said. "They play similar styles. Duke's got a couple of dynamic attackers and midfield players, so we're going to have to really key on them."
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Duke boasts two attacking stars - senior Kelly Dirks (18 goals, 6 assists, 24 points) and junior Lauren Gallagher (17 goals, 5 assists, 22 points). The duo has combined for 35 of Duke's 89 goals and 46 of the team's 120 points. Last season, Dirks netted three goals and Gallagher added a goal and two assists as the Blue Devils defeated the Cavaliers 14-10.
A depleted Duke defense could struggle against Virginia's high powered attack, led by junior Lauren Aumiller (41 goals, 22 assists, 63 points), freshman Amy Appelt (25 goals, 15 assists, 40 points) and senior Molly Cangemi (25 goals, 12 assists, 37 points).
"Duke's defense is more a weak point for them," Cangemi said. "They lost a few players."
The Blue Devils will play without All-American defender Meghan Walters, who is out for the season with a femural stress fracture in her left leg. Last season, Walters started 15 games for the Blue Devils, causing 24 turnovers and leading a defense that allowed only 6.74 goals per game.
Saturday's game could have post-season implications for the Cavaliers.
"It's not only our next challenge, but it's our final ACC game," Myers said. "So it could put us in great standing for the ACC Tournament."
"They're a really good team, well-coached, and have a lot of tough players," Cangemi said. "I'm psyched for it. I feel so confident with our team right now"
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