With the ACC Tournament well underway, there is not much the No. 6 Virginia women's lacrosse team can complain about much as they've had another successful season. The Cavaliers finished the year ranked 16th nationally in scoring offense (averaging 12.75 goals per game) and fifth in the country in scoring defense (averaging 8.06 goals allowed per game).
"I think we feel good. 13-3 is a pretty solid record," Virginia coach Julie Myers said, adding, however, that the team always seems to lose one game each year that it should have won.
"This year would be [Johns] Hopkins, last year would be Richmond, and we have always had one of those other wins coming down the stretch where we could have -- and should have -- won, so I think we're in very comfortable and familiar territory in terms of where our record is and what we've done," Myers said.
The Cavaliers (13-3, 3-2 ACC) fell to Johns Hopkins nearly two weeks ago, 12-9. Another one of their devastating losses came against a home matchup against ACC rival Duke when the Blue Devils managed to score the game-winning goal in sudden-death double overtime for a 19-18 win. After beating powerhouses such as Richmond, Syracuse and Maryland, however, Virginia knows what it takes to make it through a tough schedule.
While success is a team effort, this season is particulary important to the seniors who are about to graduate.
"This year is important to me because it is my final go-around, my last chance at hopefully getting that national championship one more time," senior defender and co-captain Jessy Morgan said. "But it's been a great season, probably one of the best I've been a part of. And I'd really just like to end on a high note with winning ACCs and NCAAs."
Though the seniors will soon leave their younger teammates behind, they still have a responsibility to take on a leadership role and direct the squad on the field. This leadership and the valuable experience the seniors bring to the field will be crucial in producing a strong showing in tournament play.
"They have been in a lot of championship games and a lot of tournament settings, and they are our best leaders on the field as well as off the field," Myers said. "Certainly the [seniors] are going to lead the way off the field, getting ready for exams, taking care of the little things there academically and then really capitalizing once they are on the field."
This season has also brought rewards for several players, most notably Kate Breslin, who was recently nominated for the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy. Her 45 goals and 22 assists lead the team in both categories and are also career highs. She is one of the 17 nominees for the most prestigious awards in women's lacrosse that has usually been awarded to the country's best all-around player.
It has been a good run for this Virginia team and nobody is looking to have it end -- at least not until after the national championship.
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