The No. 10 Virginia women's lacrosse team will square off against No. 4 North Carolina during the first round of the ACC Championships tonight in Cary, N.C. The Cavaliers (9-5, 1-4 ACC) enter the tournament ranked as the lowest-seeded team in the field of six, but the squad still believes it has a viable shot at stringing together an upset run at the crown. "A ranking is just a number," senior defender Molly McClintic said.
The Tar Heels (10-4, 3-2 ACC), who downed Virginia 8-7 in Chapel Hill earlier this season, stand in the Cavaliers' way of moving forward on their title quest. During the first matchup between the two teams, Virginia fell behind 7-3 by halftime but managed to score four goals in a 12-minute span to equalize the score at seven goals apiece. But senior attacker Sarah Kuonen registered a goal with 7:29 remaining in the game to allow the Tar Heels to edge the then-No. 7 Cavaliers by a one score margin.
But despite the setback earlier this year, the Cavaliers are confident that their young group of midfielders can show a veteran savvy that will be necessary for success in the rematch. "What I like about playing Carolina is that they always get our team's attention," coach Julie Myers said. "They're familiar names. They use familiar sets ... and I think our girls are excited."
But if Virginia hopes to exact revenge on its long-time foe, the squad will need to crack the Tar Heels' stingy defense. During the regular season, North Carolina limited opponents to a mere 8.24 goals per game - good for No. 2 in the conference. The Cavaliers will turn to junior attackers Charlie Finnigan, Josie Owen, Julie Gardner and Ainsley Baker to break down the Tar Heels' backline. The quartet has carried the offensive load all season - each player has recorded at least 25 goals thus far. Gardner, who tallied a team-high 51 points during the season, nabbed All-ACC honors for her efforts.
Should Gardner and the rest of the Virginia attack lead the team past the quarterfinal round, the Cavaliers will encounter No. 2 seed Duke Friday. Both Duke and No. 1 seed Maryland, which also boasts the top ranking nationally, receive first-round byes after going 4-1 and 5-0 in the conference, respectively.
Duke defeated Virginia 11-8 last month during a closely-fought match at home. The Blue Devils' potent attack, fueled by a four-goal performance from junior midfielder Kat Thomas, produced just enough to sneak past the upset-hungry Cavaliers. Thomas currently ranks as the No. 9 scorer in the ACC with 2.4 goals per game - three spots behind teammate Emma Hamm with 2.53 scores per outing. Collectively, the Blue Devils rank No. 2 in the conference in scoring behind Maryland.
The Cavaliers, however, believe that they can squash the Blue Devils' high-flying offense by emulating the dominance exhibited by the Tar Heels' defense.
"We have a really strong defense and a strong goalie, too," McClintic said. "They've been tested throughout the year and done pretty well so I'm confident in them."
If the Cavaliers manage to upset both Duke and North Carolina, they would come away from the tournament with two marquee wins that would bolster their NCAA resume. Virginia never has missed the tournament since Myers took the helm in 1996.
"The way we look at it is we have a chance to [add victories against] three top-five teams should we take care of business," Myers said. "The biggest thing is just to play consistently ... We've had games where our defense has been better than our offense and vice versa. We've yet to put together two halves back-to-back."
Wins against Duke and North Carolina also would set up an opportunity for the Cavaliers to nab their first ACC crown since 2008 when the then-No. 3 squad defeated the then-No. 2 Terrapins by a 10-9 margin in overtime. Baker, who was a young member of the 2008 team, believes that the Cavaliers have what it takes to duplicate that performance despite their lackluster ACC record.
"Everyone is pretty evenly matched," Baker said. "Anyone can win on any given day. We can win these games if we play a full 60 minutes."
Following the ACC Tournament, Virginia will return home briefly before traveling to James Madison next Wednesday for a rescheduled regular season game.
Read More
No. 4 field hockey set for primetime ACC showdown at undefeated No. 2 North Carolina
By Eleanor Lynch | 6 hours agoWith a win, the Cavaliers would take control of first place in the ACC.
Virginia volleyball defeats Syracuse in a thrilling five-set match
By Victoria Blankenship | 13 hours agoThe Cavaliers continue their best ACC run since 2006.
TILOCK AND ISTVAN: We should temper post-Bennett expectations for Virginia men’s basketball
By Xander Tilock and Ben Istvan | 15 hours agoBennett buoyed Virginia in a way that legendary coaches of other programs did not.
