After a tough stretch of games that included a loss to top-ranked Maryland, the Cavaliers have had a lot of time to rest before their game tonight against No. 18 James Madison University. Virginia's game tonight will be only its second game in 12 days, after a stretch of several games with only one day of rest between.
"The rest helped because we could practice," coach Michele Madison said. "We were able to work on a couple of set situations and bring up the intensity."
Virginia is currently in the middle of a seven-game stretch in the state of Virginia. Starting Sept. 27 against Richmond, the Cavaliers play five games at home and travel to Richmond and Harrisonburg. With little travel time, the players have been able to rest up for the end of the season.
With games against Duke and Wake Forest, as well as the ACC Tournament, looming at the end of the season, it is critical that the Cavaliers win their next several games to carry momentum into the postseason.
"This is our last game in the region, so it's the biggest game of the year for us right now," senior goalie Kat Blair said. "We haven't looked that far into the future yet. We're just focusing on JMU now."
To beat the Dukes, Virginia will have to put forward a strong performance on the road. So far this season the Cavaliers have only played four games away from home and posted a 2-2 record. Even though Virginia does not have to travel as far, the Cavaliers will have to perform better than they did on their trip to Massachusetts, where they recorded consecutive losses to Boston University and Boston College. With so few games on the road this season, the test tonight will be a good experience for the Cavaliers before their final game of the season against Duke in Durham.
However, Virginia's biggest problem may not be playing away from home but rather JMU freshman phenom Meghan Bain. The forward is coming off of a strong game against William & Mary, where she recorded her first career hat trick in the Dukes' 4-1 victory Oct. 8. Bain also scored both goals in the Duke's 2-1 win over Towson two days earlier. Last week, Bain was named co-rookie of the week by womensfieldhockey.com. Bain also captured the rookie of the week and player of the week honors in the CAA for her play. Bain's five goals in the two wins gave her 11 for the season, ranking her 28th nationally in goals per game. Bain's 11 goals are also twice as many as anyone else on JMU's team. Stopping Bain will be priority number one for the Cavaliers.
Virginia's defense seems to be up to the challenge. The second half against Pacific was a step forward for Virginia's sometimes inconsistent defense. The Cavaliers did not give up a field shot for the entire half and gave up a goal only after the result was in hand.
"We're continually learning on defense, so it's just getting better with each game." Blair said.
Virginia will have to continue to improve if they hope to contain Bain and escape JMU with a critical road win.
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