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Skidding Cavs challenge No. 3 Tar Heels

Virginia looks to snap three-game losing streak with win in Chapel Hill

In winning its first two games of the season 10-9 at No. 9 Loyola (Md) and 13-7 at Richmond, the No. 8 Virginia women’s lacrosse team displayed a stingy defense alongside its balanced offensive attack. Even in a 10-9 loss to then-No. 2 Syracuse Feb. 24, the Cavalier defense played well and senior goalkeeper Kim Kolarik came up with double-digit saves.

In last weekend’s home field setbacks against No. 1 Maryland and then-No. 10 Penn State the Virginia defense yielded 33 goals on 53 shots. With the Cavaliers’ next stop coming this Saturday at No. 3 North Carolina, the team knows it cannot afford another porous defensive showing. The return of sophomore defender Kelsey Gahan, who has yet to play this season with a dislocated knee, should render the Virginia defense less susceptible to breach.

“She’s hands-down our best defender,” coach Julie Myers said. “I mean, she’s our emotional leader on the defense. She’s a communicator. She’s an anchor. She’s a great matchup player, a great one-on-one player.”

Virginia (2-3, 0-1 ACC) will need more than Gahan’s defensive prowess to upset the Tar Heels (4-1, 0-0 ACC). North Carolina has notched wins against No. 4 Northwestern, No. 16 Towson and No. 20 Penn, and no team has managed more than eight goals against senior goalkeeper Lauren Maksym and the Tar Heel defense. The team’s shutdown effort in a 5-3 season-opening loss to No. 2 Florida foreshadowed victories based on quieting opposing firepower. The undefeated Gators have scored between 13 and 18 goals in their other six games.

The Tar Heel attack has also impressed in its own right. Though the team graduated 2012 scoring leaders and All-ACC selections Laura Zimmerman and Becky Lynch, several veterans have assumed expanded roles in their stead. Midfielders senior Kara Cannizzaro, junior Taylor George, senior Emily Garrity and junior Abbey Friend have combined for 43 points in the team’s first five games.

“UNC’s always been a very good team and competition for us and, I would say, a school rivalry,” senior attacker and co-captain Caroline McTiernan said. “But they have lost some great players, and new ones are stepping up. I think their attack really stands out.”

Virginia’s chances against North Carolina may depend on its ability to weather an early deficit. This season, the Tar Heels have outscored their foes 34-12 in the first half while bombarding opposing keepers with 57 shots on goal. In the second half of games, North Carolina has been outscored by five goals. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have played fairly consistently across halves this season — the team has scored 29 goals before the break and 27 after it — but will need to play at an especially high level from the first draw versus the Tar Heels.

“UNC’s really good — no doubt,” Myers said. “I mean, they’ve got great athletes, great speed, great players.”

A solid performance against North Carolina would be therapeutic for the Cavaliers. Virginia is now in a three-game losing streak, and though their defeats have come against some of the country’s best teams — Maryland, Syracuse and Penn State each rank in the top seven of the IWLCA Coaches Poll — the team’s confidence has flagged. The Cavaliers see this Saturday as a chance to put some of wind back in their sails.

“I would say we’re a little down,” McTiernan said. “We had three losses in a row; we don’t want it to be [a] fourth. But I think it’s a bit of a learning experience … We talked as a team. We need to really fight more as a team, come together as a team and play as a team.”

Gahan’s return to the lineup will help to lift Virginia, but the young team’s response to the present losing streak will depend largely on the demeanor of its six seniors. Before the season, Myers said the responsibility to lead fell to her fourth-years, no matter their role on game day. One encouraging moment came last Sunday, when senior midfielder Anne Thomas scored 11 minutes into the second half to stop a 6-0 Penn State run and ignite a four-goal response by Virginia. The goal was her first of the year.

“I think as a fourth-year, I mean, it’s all on the table,” McTiernan said. “It’s our last year. [We] want to do really well. We’ve had some ups and downs — some wins, some losses … Coming out with a bang in the beginning and beating [North Carolina] would really set us off to a good start.”

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