After a one-week layoff following a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Wake Forest, Virginia field hockey, which fell out of the rankings for the first time this season in Tuesday's STX/NFHCA poll, has one final chance to pick up a win in conference play Saturday against No. 11 Duke.
With each passing opportunity to beat an ACC opponent, all five of which are ranked in the top 13, Virginia's chances to make the NCAA Tournament dwindle. There are two ways the Cavaliers can make the NCAA Tournament: They can win their conference tournament, an enormous challenge considering the strength of the ACC, or they can secure one of eight at-large bids given out by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. The Cavaliers are unofficially ranked at No. 21 in this week's poll, since they received the most votes of any unranked team. With Virginia's current position in the polls outside of the top 16, the team must pick up at least one win this Sunday or in the ACC Tournament to have a fighting chance of receiving an at-large bid.
"Making the NCAA Tournament is definitely something you keep in the back of your head at the beginning of every season," freshman Kaitlyn Hiltz said. "It's always going to be a goal for us."
The NCAA Tournament, however, is not Virginia's only motivating factor. For Virginia's lone true senior, Abby Taylor, and possibly for its two redshirt juniors, Amy Desjadon and Katherine Bounds, this is the last home game in a Virginia uniform. Beyond making the tournament, the younger players want to win one for the upperclassmen.
The seniors "have worked really hard," Hiltz said. "Since we're such a young team, I would hate for them to think, 'Oh, the freshmen think they can just get [an ACC win] next year,' because I really want to get it for them this year."
In order to compete with Duke Saturday, the Cavaliers will have to improve on their most recent outing against Wake Forest. The Cavaliers' defensive inconsistency against Wake Forest on the heels of several encouraging defensive performances was particularly disconcerting. Wake Forest was able to pull the trigger on 16 shots in the first half, which is as many shots as the Cavaliers have allowed in an entire game this season. Although Virginia tightened up its pressure in the second half, limiting the Demon Deacons to one shot, the Cavaliers cannot plan to win with the porous defense they offered in the first period last Saturday.
"We played hard, but we started playing a little differently than we usually do," Hiltz said. "We really wanted it, but we weren't really connected as much."
The Cavaliers' offensive production will also have to improve dramatically as the postseason approaches. Virginia has been outscored 15-1 in conference play, with the lone goal against an ACC opponent coming against Boston College Sept. 22. Team members use the phrase, "getting your frock wet," to describe how they need to dive for balls in the circle to create chances, and Virginia coach Michele Madison said this is necessary for offensive production to improve.
"Our goals all seem to be beautiful goals," Madison said. "We need some scrappy goals, some rebound goals."
Virginia does have the luxury of getting a full week between the disappointment of last Saturday and the game with Duke tomorrow afternoon. This week marks Virginia's longest break of the season.
"We did a lot of fitness on Sunday, did some attack stuff on Monday, and Tuesday we gave them off," Madison said. "Heading down the stretch of the week, we're trying to fine-tune, find a way to get some more scoring opportunities"
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