HARRISONBURG -- The Virginia field hockey team entered its game Sunday against No. 5 James Madison with an unblemished 4-0 record, but left with more than its first defeat of the year.
After being dominated by the Dukes 3-1, the No. 9 Cavaliers recognized they still have a long way to go before they can compete with the elite teams in the nation.
"Regardless of their speed and their strength, I think there are things that we could've done today to keep us in the game and give us a chance to compete," Virginia Coach Jessica Wilk said. "We didn't take care of the simple things."
The Cavaliers raced ahead early when senior captain Katie Slocum scored on a pass from junior Katie Nicholson only 1:24 into the game. For the remainder of the game, however, Virginia played back on its heels, constantly defending against the Duke attack.
The Dukes had 11 corners while Virginia did not manage one the entire game. Additionally, the Cavaliers only took three shots on goal -- their one goal coming on their only shot in the first half -- compared to the 19 taken by James Madison.
"It's very frustrating when you're constantly down in your defensive end for 90 percent of the game," Wilk said.
JMU knotted the score at 1-1 10 minutes into the game, when Dana Weaver rebounded a blocked shot into the Virginia cage.
Then, with a little more than 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Duke sophomore Veerle Goudswaard scored unassisted when she rifled a slap shot from 12 yards out into the back of the Virginia goal.
The Dukes scored the final goal of the game when Janelle Perlis scored 14:44 into the second half, extending the JMU advantage to 3-1.
"I knew they were good," Wilk said of James Madison. "They came out, and they were strong, they were skilled, they were fast. They're an excellent team. I expected that coming in."
While JMU kept attacking, Virginia never seriously threatened offensively after the first two minutes of the game.
"They set the tempo of the game," Wilk said. "We had a span of 10-12 minutes in the second half where we were able to set the tone of the game, but you can't expect in a 70-minute game to only set the tone for 12 minutes and come out on the right side of the scoreboard."
Much of the James Madison domination came from sheer determination, as the Dukes consistently beat Virginia to the loose balls.
"We let them beat us to 50-50 balls," senior captain Cara Unterkofler said. "When we had a chance to swing the ball, they would beat us to it."
Virginia's double-overtime victory over William & Mary on Friday might have contributed to the team's weary legs, but for a team that takes pride in its enthusiasm, that was no excuse.
The William & Mary game "was a very emotional game, up and down," Unterkofler said.
But "I don't think that's an excuse," she added.
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