The Virginia field hockey team looks to get back on track at the University of Richmond today following an eye-opening loss to James Madison over the weekend. The in-state rivals knock sticks tonight on Crenshaw Field at 5.
After opening their 2002 campaign with four wins and climbing to a No. 9 national ranking, Virginia lost 3-1 at fifth-ranked JMU on Sunday. The defeat was especially frustrating because the Cavaliers seemed out-matched and never threatened to mount a comeback. Nevertheless, the team is looking to use the experience as a building block.
"We're trying to treat it as a learning experience," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "Obviously, it gave us a very good indication of where we are weak and what needs to get better. I think it was good for us to play a top five team. I think we need to learn from a) things they're doing well that's making them successful, and b) we need to straighten out some things that we didn't do so well."
Virginia must go back to the basics in order to improve on a sloppy offensive effort against the Dukes that produced only three shots on goal and no corner shots. The Cavaliers were unable to make a turnaround during the game because JMU was overwhelming in its possession of the ball.
"We need to do very simple things," Wilk said. "We need to possess the ball. We need to be more of an attacking threat and draw a couple corners."
Virginia will rely on the leadership of senior midfielder Kelli Hill, who leads the Cavaliers in goals so far this season with three. Hill scored the game-winning goal in the Cavaliers' last win, an inspiring 2-1 double-overtime victory over William & Mary. She also emphasized a focus on the fundamentals against Richmond.
"We'll be blue tomorrow, so pass to the blue and orange sticks," Hill said of the team's strategy. "String together a combination of passes, instead of one and turning the ball over."
Richmond brings a slightly different perspective to today's match. Instead of trying to return to winning ways, the Spiders hope to jumpstart a sputtering season. Richmond returns home after being trounced 3-0 over the weekend at William & Mary, the same team Virginia slipped past last Friday. That was the Spiders' fourth consecutive loss, but a win against in-state rival Virginia could turn their season around.
Much of the Spiders' success hinges on the performance of their freshman goalkeeper Michelle Swartz who notched a shutout against American University in Richmond's season-opening victory -- their only victory of the season. Her performance earned recognition as Atlantic-10 rookie of the week. But Swartz has since failed to duplicate her outstanding debut, giving up 11 goals during the four-game losing streak.
With a return to the fundamentals, the Cavaliers should be able to give Swartz trouble and come away with their fifth victory of the season.
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