After two weekend losses to Cornell and Dartmouth, the field hockey team sits at 8-7, with chances of a berth in the NCAA Tournament appearing less and less likely. The team has its first chance to get back on track tonight, though, when Virginia takes on Townson (9-6) at UVA Turf Field.
For a team that came into the season with high hopes, Virginia has been mired in inconsistent play. For every big win -- such as its victory over ranked North Carolina on Oct. 13 -- the Cavaliers also have devastating losses like the one this weekend.
"We haven't done ourselves justice for how well we can play," senior co-captain Cara Unterkofler said. "When we're playing teams that we should beat, we're off. When we're playing teams that are good competition, we play well but we can't finish."
As their record hovers around .500, the Cavaliers are looking ahead to the conference tournament that begins Nov. 7. The team sees the ACC tourney as its last chance to make good on its preseason optimism and to return to the NCAA Tournament.
"This weekend, those losses have put us in a really bad spot in terms of making the NCAA tournament," midfielder Unterkofler said. "To motivate ourselves, we say, 'Okay, we have the ACC tournament.' That's our main goal now, to be the ACC champs."
But to avoid another disappointing performance, the Cavs must focus all their attention on their upcoming game against Townson.
Sophomore midfielder Julie Lambi and senior backfielder Heatherann Schwartz lead a Tiger offensive attack that has outshot opponents 191-177 this season. For the 2002 campaign, Lambi's 14 goals account for more than one-third of the team's total, while Schwartz's field vision has given her 14 assists.
Although their 9-6 record is solid, the Tigers' opposition has been less than stellar. Townson has beaten up on lesser opponents such as Maryland-Baltimore County (6-10), St. Francis (0-16), and Davidson (6-9) to pad its record.
For the Cavaliers, their return to Charlottesville is welcome. This season, Virginia is 6-1 at home and only 1-5 in away games.
For the Cavaliers, their strength lies in their astounding defense, anchored by junior goalie Emily White, whom coach Jessica Wilk refers to as the team's "brick wall." While logging all but 26 minutes in goal this year, White has made 145 saves and sports a save percentage of 83.8 percent.
While Virginia excels at defense, Virginia opponents are outshooting the Cavaliers 237-120 this season.
"We need to learn how to capitalize," Unterkofler said. We need to be more aggressive, intense, and scrappy as an offensive team. We're so defensive all the time that once the ball is up, we're [too tired] to get excited."
Unterkokler and the Cavaliers recognize that if they are going to make the NCAAs, they must continue to improve.
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