The Virginia women's soccer team travels down Tobacco Road on Saturday to face conference foe North Carolina. The Tar Heels (12-1-1) are ranked No. 2 in the country, and are returning home for the first time in 41 days to play the Cavaliers (7-4-2).
The Cavaliers are coming off a commanding 7-3 victory over James Madison on Tuesday. One of the major factors was their ability to kick the game out of reach early, which will be a key again Saturday, Virginia Coach Steve Swanson said.
Virginia has been in this position before, when they faced second-ranked UCLA in Los Angeles last year.
"There is nobody we can't compete with or beat," Swanson said. "The days have passed of moral victories."
His team has faced some tough losses this season. He says the Cavaliers are playing "well enough to win, but in the past two to three weeks [they] haven't gotten the results indicative of their play. If things don't go your way, [you've got to] keep on battling."
As the team goes into the next few weeks of intense ACC play, Swanson says the team looks to correct mistakes they have made in past games. The youth of the team also has been a factor, since Virginia lost 10 seniors from its 2001 team and has 16 freshmen and sophomores.
"We haven't been finishing," Swanson said. "A young team takes time to gel."
They will look specifically at experienced players like leading scorer senior Alyssa Benitez and other powerful forwards.
"Benitez's success can be credited to finishing opportunities, scoring goals, playing tough defense. She is crafty at turning and getting behind defenses," Asst. Coach Suzanne Eastman said.
Taking advantage of their opportunities and scoring goals will not come easy to the Cavaliers in tomorrow's game. Carolina is powered by a strong defense that is led by former ACC player of the week Leslie Gaston, who has led the UNC defense to hold opponents scoreless over 556 minutes.
According to their coach, Virginia has the attitude and mindset for victory. They know what they want. They want a win at Chapel Hill.
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