The only place the No. 3-ranked Virginia women's lacrosse team (8-1, 2-1 ACC) appears headed is onward and upward, as they come off a huge win over No. 7 Princeton and prepare to face the No. 10-ranked James Madison squad tonight.
Beating Princeton was probably one of the most, if not the most, significant win thus far in the season, due to the fact that they knocked Virginia out of the NCAA tournament in the first round last year. Now the Cavaliers are as confident as ever.
"Beating Princeton was huge," junior goalkeeper Kendall McBrearty said, who recorded nine saves against the Tigers last Saturday "It was such an emotional game. It was a good game for us to win because it was revenge at its best, and going into JMU is a very important game because they're a very good team and I really think they always put out their best against us because of the in-state rivalry."
Virginia leads this in-state rivalry series against James Madison with a record of 23-10-1, not having suffered a loss to them since the 2003 season.
On the hour-long ride to Harrisonburg, the Cavaliers will be mentally preparing exactly how to come up with a win over the 6-1 Dukes, who remain undefeated at home. Among the many things to focus on, the defense will have to try and contain junior attacker Annie Wagner, who was just recently added to the 2007 "Watch List" for the Tewaarton Trophy, the most prestigious lacrosse award given annually to the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse players. Wagner currently leads the Dukes in scoring with 21 goals and is second on the team in terms of ground balls with eight.
Ball control will most likely be the determining factor in the game.
"I think loose balls are going to be huge," coach Julie Myers. "The team that can really control the ball and control the possession time and flow of the game is going to do well."
The Cavaliers, however, have seen such success this season that just continuing to do what they have been doing may be the best advice to guarantee a win.
"I think we're very patient on offense," McBrearty said. "I think our offense handled the ball very well and waited for the shots they wanted to take and I think our defense really stepped up."
One thing Virginia will need to be cautious of when facing the Dukes is the Dukes' tendency to get riled up and excited over very little things, which has the possibility of instilling some doubt and uncertainty in the Cavaliers.
To counter this, Virginia will need to make sure they maintain control throughout the game, playing the way they have been at their own pace the entire season.
"I think James Madison is such an emotional team that if things start to go well for them early on, they become more and more dangerous every minute," Myers said. "So it's going to be important that we set the tone and that we're the ones dominating the loose balls. We're going to have to start strong and stay there."
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