Usually, when a team loses its top three scorers from the previous season, the squad's offensive numbers drop significantly during the following year. But that has not seemed to be the case for the No. 7 Virginia women's lacrosse team, as the four-headed scoring attack of juniors Ainsley Baker, Charlie Finnigan, Josie Owen and Julie Gardner is propelling the Cavaliers to new offensive heights.
Finnigan currently leads the team with 34 goals, while the other three stars have netted at least 22 scores apiece. Perhaps more impressively, all four players had scored in every game of the 2011 season until Baker and Finnigan were held out of the Cavaliers' victory against Old Dominion because of injury.
Coach Julie Myers, who has coached many talented athletes throughout her tenure at Virginia, believes that this might be one of the most formidable attacks that she has ever seen.
"I think all four should be All-Americans at some level," Myers said.
Since the graduation of All-American leading-scorers Kaitlin Duff, Brittany Kalkstein and Caity Whiteley last spring, the Cavaliers' scoring totals only have dipped from 12.80 goals per game on average to 11.75 goals per game. Such a minimal decline in production seems impressive considering that Duff, Kalkstein and Whiteley were responsible for 65, 62 and 52 points, respectively, in 2010.\nBut with a developing youth midfield behind them, Finnigan, Owen, Gardner and Baker could be on the verge of eclipsing the output of last year's talented offensive corps.
The quartet's effectiveness on the field directly results from their familiarity with one another off the field, Owen said. Finnigan, Owen and Gardner all live together and spend most of their free time strengthening their already close bond. Baker, who is actually a year older than the rest, certainly does not feel left out, however.
"The three of us live together, but Ainsley hangs out with us a lot too," Owen said. "We all get along really well."
The off-field chemistry has seemed to pay dividends for the group as Gardner and Owen, the self-proclaimed playmakers, often are able to locate their friends before they even have shaken their defenders. The four stars also believe that their closeness allows them to be more honest with one another in tough situations on the field.
"Because we know each other so well, we're not afraid to give each other advice during games, and that helps us run our plays," Finnigan said. "We don't have to worry about offending each other."
Although it may seem as though the quartet has been playing together for years, the 2011 season has marked the first time that the attackers have played together simultaneously for a long-stretch of the season. All four started regularly during the early portion of the 2010 campaign, but Baker and Owen sustained season-ending knee injuries that cut their time together on the field short.
Baker and Owen worked relentlessly through their rehabilitation together throughout the off-season, offering one another support throughout the difficult journey to recovery.
"Ainsley and I were both there for each other and since we both play the same position we kind of pushed each other," Owen said. "We had a common cause to get better."
The integration of Baker and Owen back into the lineup has seemed to progress smoothly, in large part because of the way their skills complement Gardner and Finnigan's talents, Myers said. While Owen and Gardner often look to distribute the ball, Baker and Finnigan typically take the open looks at the goal.
"There's a good blend," Myers said. "You've got Josie and Julie, who like to set things up and control the flow ... You've got Ainsley, who has no interest in setting things up but would love to finish, and then you've got Charlie who chips in depending on where she is and where she gets the ball."
Myers believes that part of the Cavaliers' offensive success can be attributed to Gardner's move from midfielder to attack this season. Gardner, who started all 20 games last season at the midfield position, has embraced her new role on the team.
"I'm enjoying it now that I'm understanding the position a little bit more," Gardner said. "I still find myself yelling to the defense from the restraining line to keep myself involved [when the team is on defense]."
As Gardner continues to get increasingly more comfortable at her new position, the group aspires to make a run in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The players strongly feel that together, they can match up against the nation's best defenders.
"If [opposing teams] try to shut one of us down, we're all an equal scoring threat," Baker said. "It's good to know that if one of us is having a bad game that there's three of us there to pick up the slack"
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