The Virginia women's lacrosse team's record just went from 13-3 to 0-0.
The Cavaliers ended their regular season with a disappointing 8-4 loss to Georgetown. Despite the setback, the biggest opportunities still lie ahead for Virginia -- the ACC Tournament this weekend and the NCAA Tournament in May.
At this time of year, the importance of each game is magnified.
"Every game, you're on the line," senior midfielder Nikki Lieb said. "If you don't win, you don't move on."
Virginia's 4-1 record in the regular season earned the team the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Duke earned the No. 1 seed through a tie-breaker, but both the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers earned a bye in the first round.
"I think it'll be beneficial to us," junior midfielder Jess Wasilewski said. "We'll be more rested. We've had a lot of time to prepare."
The ACC Tournament poses a formidable challenge for any team that hopes to take home the trophy. Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland stand at second, third, sixth and seventh in the laxpower.com rankings. A tournament winner will likely have to defeat at least two top-10 teams.
"It's a great opportunity to play great teams and see what we can do against them," Virginia coach Julie Myers said.
For Virginia, the path to the championship will likely begin with a second round matchup against the Tar Heels. North Carolina handed Virginia its only ACC loss of the season, in a close 11-10 game in Charlottesville in March.
The result of that game has not been forgotten by the members of the Virginia squad.
"For us, I think we obviously want revenge," Lieb said. "It's going to be a little more emotional this time around."
One benefit of that earlier game is the availability of game film. The team has been closely studying footage of the previous game against UNC, hoping to correct mistakes and stop the Tar Heel offense.
"We were able to go back and watch the film from the first time around," Myers said. "I think we're going to be just a little more prepared for that. We've been able to prepare our defense a little better for what they're throwing our way."
Lieb believes the Cavaliers' talent will carry the day and avenge the mid-season loss.
"We know that they're scrappy, but I think that we have a little bit of an edge skillwise," Lieb said.
Virginia's overall goal for every season is the national championship, but the team also covets ACC Tournament titles. With so many strong teams in the conference, ACC championships are always highly prized by the players.
"The conference championship is definitely just as important," Wasilewski said. "We play a lot of great teams in conference."
After the ACC Tournament, Virginia will have two weeks to rest before the NCAA Tournament begins May 14.
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