The No. 11 Virginia women's lacrosse team enters its away matchup against George Mason tonight with one main objective - to build momentum. The Cavaliers have endured an up-and-down season that has seen them fall four spots from their No. 7 preseason ranking. Tonight's game against the Patriots will serve as their final opportunity to find the consistency they will need for next week's ACC Tournament.
"We're ready to go into ACCs and just give it our all," sophomore goalie Kim Kolarik said. "Watch out in ACCs because we'll be ready."
Despite defeating Virginia Tech at home last week for their first conference win of the season, the Cavaliers (8-5, 1-4 ACC) currently sit in last place in the conference with no opportunity to improve their seed in the six-team field. Virginia is one of three teams with only one ACC win, along with Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Only Virginia Tech has a game remaining against an ACC opponent, and the Cavaliers will lose out in any tiebreakers regardless of the outcome. If unbeaten and top-ranked Maryland defeats the Hokies Saturday, the tiebreaker will come down to goal differential in the games played between the three teams. In that scenario, the Cavaliers would lose out because of their minus-four differential. If the Hokies win, Virginia Tech would vault to fourth and Virginia would lose a tiebreaker with Boston College for fifth after falling to the Eagles April 2 in Chestnut Hill, 12-6.
Although tonight's game has no bearing on the Cavaliers' ACC record or conference tournament seed, a loss would hurt their quest to qualify for the NCAA Tournament field if they fail to earn an automatic bid as ACC Tournament champions. Securing a victory against the Patriots (3-9) also would provide some much-needed evidence of Virginia's continued improvement after a full week of practicing and reviewing film.
Defensively, the Cavaliers will aim to contain a George Mason attack averaging fewer than nine goals per game. Virginia has allowed an ACC-worst 11.38 goals per contest, but a solid performance against the struggling Patriots - whose leading scorer, junior midfielder Emily Ellisen, has just 22 goals this season - could help bring that figure down.
When the Patriots score in double figures, they have a 3-0 record. Reaching that mark frequently has eluded them, however, including during their most lopsided loss of the season March 8 - a 21-2 drubbing by Maryland.
"George Mason is having a little bit of an off-year," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "They've been struggling a little bit, so hopefully we catch them on a struggle day and play great, and everybody has a chance to chip in."
In contrast to George Mason's offense, all four starting Virginia attackers have scored at least 25 goals. Nevertheless, receiving increased production from their secondary scoring threats in the midfield would be a welcome sign for the Cavaliers, who have relied heavily on the attacking corps to carry the load.
Sophomore midfielder Annie Thomas is the only Cavalier midfielder with more than six goals, but she and fellow sophomore midfielder Caroline McTiernan have combined to score seven goals during the last three games as the young midfielders become more comfortable with their roles.
Two such players - freshman midfielders Maddy Keeshan and Lauren Goerz - have contributed to Virginia's improved transitions and dominance of possession. Keeshan ranks third on the team with nine caused turnovers, while Goerz ranks third with 17 draw controls after cracking the starting lineup six games into the season.
The 2011 season has been a disappointment overall for a George Mason squad that returned nine of 11 starters from last year. Senior attacker Madalyn Jamison led the team in scoring in 2010 but has managed just 12 goals during her senior campaign, epitomizing her team's tumultuous season.
Virginia also has struggled this season, but the Cavaliers remain confident that they can add to the Patriots' woes while avoiding a disappointing season of their own.
"Now we have about four good practices we'll be able to get in and just work on the little things," Kolarik said after beating Virginia Tech last week. "We'll have plenty of days to [practice hard], and then George Mason better watch out because it'll be good."
Tonight's opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fairfax, Va.
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