When the University of Virginia field hockey team hosts Radford (3-7) Wednesday, the Cavaliers' season may be on the line. The Cavaliers (5-6, 0-1 ACC) will take the field with a sense of urgency as they hope to turn their season around and make a late surge in the standings.
"I think we just really need to try and get back on track because our season is more than half over, and we have some big games ahead of us," sophomore midfielder Katie Phillips said.
The Cavaliers are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and are coming off close losses to William & Mary and No. 3 Maryland. The loss against William & Mary came in overtime, and Maryland won on a goal in the closing minutes of regulation.
"In both games we put up a dog fight," junior Katie Jo Gerfen said. "Unfortunately for us, that is not enough."
In the two most recent games, the Cavaliers have managed to fight their way back into the game after giving up early leads. Against William & Mary, Virginia was able to erase a three-goal deficit before losing in overtime. Maryland also scored first against Virginia, forcing the Cavaliers to play catch up. Despite displaying the ability to make comebacks, the Cavaliers do not want to play all of their games coming from behind.
"We can no longer count on being able to comeback late in the game," Gerfen said. "We need to score early and often."
Another point Virginia has been emphasizing is the need to play the full 70 minutes of the game with intensity. During the losing streak, Virginia has had moments where the team seemed to lose concentration. The Cavaliers gave up a flurry of early goals to William & Mary, and allowed Old Dominion to score three goals in a span of 93 seconds in a 4-1 loss Sept. 28.
"We have talked about becoming a 70-minute field hockey team, but it is time to stop the chatter and get it done through our actions," Gerfen said. "In both the William & Mary and Maryland games, we had a mental breakdown defensively which allowed both teams to generate scoring opportunities. Missing from the last two games was the ability to play 70 minutes. We need to change that weakness by" today.
The Cavaliers also are searching for ways to turn around their recent losing streak. Virginia has not won since defeating JMU at home Sept. 17.
One key to a possible turnaround could be the play of junior goalkeeper Logan Carr. Carr registered 11 saves against William & Mary and a season-high 14 saves against Maryland.
Virginia also will look for Allie Flynn and Mia Link to continue racking up goals. Flynn, a sophomore, and Link, a freshman, are tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece.
Virginia needs to be prepared to play against Radford, a team looking to snap a losing streak of their own, and the Cavaliers will look to start the game with a strong effort.
"Radford will be a tough game, but I think we will come out hard just because we really need a win right now," Phillips said.
Virginia will play the first game in a stretch of five consecutive home games tonight against Radford at 7:00 p.m.
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