Dorothy was right, there is no place like home. After three games on the road, the No. 3 Virginia women's lacrosse team (11-2, 3-1 ACC) ends the season with three straight home games.
After winning the first game convincingly against rival Virginia Tech March 15, the Cavaliers will put their four-game winning streak on the line as they host the No. 7 Georgetown Hoyas (9-3, 4-0 Big East) at 7 p.m. tonight.
These two perennial powerhouses will face each other for the first time in the regular season since 1998. That does not mean, however, that the teams are strangers. They have played each other the past two years in the NCAA tournament, with Virginia winning both matchups, including a 12-9 victory in the semifinals last year en route to a national championship. With both teams having postseason aspirations, each will try to finish the season strong. The Cavaliers especially recognize the importance of this top-10 duel.
"Georgetown is definitely a huge game," junior attacker Tyler Leachman said. "We're really excited to play them ... we know they are really good in the postseason, and, obviously, good in the regular season. We need to be ready to play them."
Virginia certainly seems ready, cruising to victory in its past four games by a combined score of 68-14. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers realize that beating the Hoyas is no small feat.
Georgetown comes to Charlottesville following a convincing victory over Notre Dame in South Bend last Saturday by a score of 14-6. The Hoyas have a wide array of offensive threats, led by Coco Stanwick. The sophomore attacker has 48 points on the season and is a finalist for the Tewaaraton trophy, given to the women's lacrosse national player of the year. Georgetown's success, however, is dependent on senior goalie Sarah Robinson, who was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week after holding Notre Dame to only one goal.
For the Cavaliers, one critical element has been controlling the draw. Virginia has outdrawn its opponents in each of the team's 11 wins. In their two losses, the Cavaliers have been outdrawn by a combined 29-20.
"Draws are always important," Leachman said. "We work on them all the time in practice. If you don't get the draw, you won't have the ball on offense. We always work on them and keep track of who is winning draws in practice."
Another big factor in the game could be last year's Tewaaraton trophy winner and current Virginia senior midfielder Amy Appelt. Appelt's three goals last week against Virginia Tech moved her to 9th overall in Division I history with 233 goals. Virginia likely will need a few more from her tonight if it hopes to secure a victory.
With just two games remaining before the ACC tournament, the women's lacrosse team knows that this is a statement game. What better way to gain some momentum than beating a top 10 team? It's something that Coach Julie Myers said she looks forward to.
"It's a great matchup," Myers said. "The fact that we are two pretty high ranked teams makes [the game] even better ... I always love playing Georgetown."
The Cavaliers hope they will love the result as much as they love the matchup.
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 3 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
