Ranked third in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association preseason poll, the Virginia women's lacrosse team takes to the turf today, opening their season this afternoon at the Tribe of William & Mary.
The Cavaliers will look to start the season with a win after defeating William & Mary last year in the season opener in Charlottesville. Virginia has begun up their regular season campaign against the Tribe for the past two seasons, splitting the two meetings.
Virginia has high expectations after finishing their 2001-2002 season with a 15-4 mark and an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals.
"We're definitely looking to make it all the way this year," senior midfielder Lauren Aumiller said. "Everyone is very focused and ready to go out and start the season."
Aumiller will be one of several key returners this season for the Cavaliers after playing a pivotal role in last season's success. The senior led the nation in goals and points last year and is currently Virginia's third all-time scorer, needing only 32 points to become Virginia's career leader.
"Lauren is a great kid who has had tremendous success," coach Julie Myers said. "She has great teammates around her, and she would be the first to tell you that they've made her better."
The teammates that Myers speaks of also will play a crucial role if the Cavaliers are to repeat their strong showing of a year ago.
Junior goalie Andrea Pfeiffer came off the bench last season to establish herself as the starting keeper for the team.
"We're really excited to have [Pfeiffer] back," Myers said. "She was one of the top goalies in the country last year, but because she's a bit younger, she didn't get the recognition."
Joining Pfeiffer on the defense will be the duo of former first team All-Americans Tiffany Schummer and Lauri Kenis. The seniors will look to anchor a solid defense that was a major part of the team's run in the postseason.
Kenis comes back to the Cavaliers after recovering from an injury she suffered during her junior year.
"We have Lauri Kenis back this year," Myers said. "She was a first team All-American two years ago as a third year."
Schummer, however, said she understands the importance of also having a strong midfield and powerful attack.
"Our biggest strength right now is that we have such good attackers to play against," Schummer said. "That's going to make us so much better prepared for our first game."
Controlling the midfield alongside the standout Aumiller will be last season's national rookie of the year, sophomore Amy Appelt. Appelt recorded 10 hat tricks and ranked in the top-20nationally for scoring. Virginia's dominance in the midfield played a major part in the Cavaliers' high scoring offense last season.
Returning attackers sophomore Cary Chasney and junior Caitlin Banks will try to keep up Virginia's furious attack. Banks was named the 2001 ACC Rookie of the year, and Chasney also ranked in the top-twenty nationally for scoring last season.
One of Virginia's strongest assets this regular season will be their large number of returning players to complement the many new faces. This will allow the older, more experienced players time to help develop the young guns into future starters for the Cavaliers.
"We have a lot of returning players," Myers said. "We're going to have a more dynamic team."
Another asset the team has is its outlook for the upcoming season.
"Once the season starts, you don't even look back to last year," Schummer said. "It's another whole season."
Virginia's schedule features nine home games and eight away games, including today's matchup at William & Mary.
The match will get underway at 4 p.m. at Busch field.
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