After starting off the season with two huge wins, the No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse team has not stopped rolling.
With three wins over No. 10 Syracuse, No. 31 Temple and No. 11 Penn State, the undefeated Cavaliers (5-0, 1-0 ACC) look to continue their winning streak tonight against another top competitor, No. 2 Maryland.
"I think we all acknowledge that we are just five games in, and while we have come through in doing some great things really well, Maryland is certainly going to be our best opponent to beat," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "We are doing a lot of things right but we are going to be completely tested come Tuesday night with Maryland."
Offensively, Virginia is led by senior attacker Kate Breslin and sophomore attacker Blair Weymouth. Breslin has recorded 15 goals and three assists, including three hat tricks, while Weymouth has 10 goals and five assists to her name.
But to beat Maryland, it looks like the Cavaliers will need to be playing their top game on both sides of the ball.
"I think we need to keep doing what we have been doing with controlling the tempo of the game, making good decisions and being poised under pressure," Myers said. "And making sure our defense is really communicating and limiting opportunities for the shooters on the other side of the ball. We just need to dominate loose balls, dominate possession time and really try to really dictate the pace of the game."
In all five of the games the Cavaliers have played, the squad has scored in double digits and held the opposing team to single digits.
Maryland, another undefeated team with a record of 5-0 (2-0 ACC), also has the same statistic, with the exception of its matchup against Duke which Maryland won 19-18.
"We've been really trying to come out extra aggressive, being all over ground balls and pressuring our attack," senior defender and co-captain Jessy Morgan said. "We realize that they are really aggressive and they are always very competitive, so we are really looking forward to it."
Virginia must realize, however, that despite this being a matchup of two national champion contenders, as well as an in-conference game, 10 games remain in the season after Maryland. A win would clearly be beneficial for the Cavaliers, but a loss would not be the end of the world.
This game "is important for a lot of reasons," Myers said. "Obviously it is an ACC game, obviously it is Maryland, which is a great rival of ours. But it is game number six of ours so I do not think the season ends tomorrow if we win or if we do not win. It is a nice test to see us show up against a great opponent. Maryland is good, they are for real. Clearly they are coming to town ready to give us a match. We are just excited that it is [at home]. It should be a great atmosphere and environment for us to play well."
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