As the members of the No. 2-ranked Virginia women's lacrosse team walked off the field after demolishing No. 6 Maryland 15-4 Tuesday, they already were thinking about their next, tougher, in-conference competition: No. 4 North Carolina.
After shutting down the dynamic offense of the Terrapins (5-1, 2-1 ACC), the Cavaliers (6-0, 2-0 ACC) are going to have to do the same to defeat a strong Tar Heel squad.
"Coming off Maryland, it's just one big game after another. I think we know that North Carolina is a completely different team from Maryland," junior goalkeeper Kendall McBrearty said after recording a career-high 14 saves against Maryland. "We know that we have to focus. We can't be relaxed going into a team like North Carolina because they're a very tough opponent."
Virginia understands the need for focus, which is why the team is looking so good this early in the season. Though the team already has defeated serious national contenders, only six games have been played. It is still early in the season and the Cavaliers will have to face more tough teams like James Madison and Princeton.
"We were excited with how well [the Maryland game] went and that we were able to come up with a win, but we also realize that it's the sixth game of the season. Our work is certainly not done," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "We're excited that it's Carolina, and that Carolina is hot right now. We really want to be challenged and see what we can do against a great opponent."
The Cavaliers and Tar Heels are tied in the all-time series at 7-7 currently; however, last year North Carolina beat Virginia 10-9 at home. The year before that Virginia came away with a victory on Tar Heel turf, 11-5. It will be interesting to see how undefeated Virginia reacts this year facing another undefeated squad.
"We embrace [the road]," Myers said. "I don't think it's anything we fear. I think it's an advantage to have your team together in a hotel the night before a game and really start talking about the game."
The Cavaliers do face a predicament, though. Against the Terrapins, senior midfielder Jess Wasilewski suffered a broken nose and required stitches. The team will have to determine whether she will be able to play and, if not, who will be the one to replace her.
The entire team also will have to work just as hard as it did in preparing for the Maryland game.
"There are some similarities between the two teams," Myers said. "Both teams like to take an awful lot of shots. Both like to feed it inside. Both like one-on-ones. So a lot of the preparations we did we did on Maryland defensively we'll stick to this Carolina match up."
Myers also noted that the Cavaliers' attack will need to adjust to counter Carolina's strategies.
"Defensively, I think Maryland pressured out on the ball a bit more often than Carolina will so I think our attack needs to adjust to a new defense."
There is no doubt that this game will be aggressive and physical. Both squads are looking to keep their winning streaks alive. Virginia must be sure to play ferocious defense and smart offense to end the match victorious.
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