The No. 13 Virginia women's lacrosse team squares off against No. 9 James Madison on the road tonight in a game with major national implications. The two in-state rivals will replay a game originally slated for March 23 which was called off because of a lightning storm. Now in the final week of the regular season, the matchup could decide which team earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament next month.
The Cavaliers (9-6) are coming off a bitterly disappointing result against No. 4 North Carolina during the ACC Tournament quarterfinals last week. After losing to North Carolina by just one goal in Chapel Hill March 12, the Cavaliers had reason to believe an upset against the Tar Heels was possible. Instead, the Tar Heels blasted the Cavaliers out of the conference tournament by a score of 16-5.
"It all needs to get better," coach Julie Myers said. "We have players that can do much better. As soon as they take a deep breath and look to each other and lean on each other, I think that will help create some of the teamwork we're missing right now."
The loss dealt a serious blow to a Virginia squad attempting to strengthen its r