The No. 13 Virginia women’s lacrosse team will take on James Madison this Wednesday at Klöckner Stadium. While the two teams have the same record, they come into the game with opposite momentum.
On one side, the Dukes (4-5 CAA) enter having won three of their last four games after starting the year 1-4.
James Madison has averaged an impressive 13.75 goals per game during this stretch, which includes wins over Denver, Richmond and Rutgers. Their lone loss during this stretch came in overtime to then No. 9 Penn State, 18-17.
On the other side, the Cavaliers (4-5, 0-3 ACC) enter the game in the midst of a four game losing streak after starting 4-1.
Virginia’s tough schedule, which has pitted the Cavaliers against three top-5 ranked teams in their past four games, has slowed down their quick start to the season.
“It’s definitely a tough stretch and a new spot for all of us to be in,” coach Julie Myers said. “The most important thing is that we stay together as a team and just make little adjustments here and there.”
However, while Virginia may not come into this game with the recent momentum, they are coming in with high excitement and confidence.
“We are all excited to face JMU,” senior defender Sarah Gillespie said. “They’re a really scrappy team and it is always a good game.”
The game appears to be a good matchup for the Cavaliers. James Madison possesses a strong offensive attack that ranks No. 22 in the country, averaging 12.56 goals per game on the season. They are led by senior midfielder Jaci Gordon, who leads the team with 23 goals scored.
But Virginia is very experienced in facing strong offensive attacks, having played against top ten offenses in Penn State, Notre Dame and Syracuse. They believe this experience has helped them feel prepared to play against any strong offensive team.
“Their motion is really fast, but we’ve faced it all before” Gillespie said.
Added Myers: “As you play so many great offensive teams, you see everything that the next team will throw at you with the cuts, picks, and flips.”
While James Madison is strong offensively, their defense has been inconsistent this year. The talented but inexperienced James Madison defense has allowed an average of 11.56 goals per game this season. For a Virginia team that is 4-1 when they score 10 goals or more this season, this is something they need to take advantage of in order to win.
Myers emphasized this, listing the need to “generate lots of scoring opportunities and connect on them” as a key to the game for the Cavaliers.
Virginia currently owns a four game win streak against James Madison, with the last win occurring last season in a 14-12 victory over the Dukes.
“We’re excited to play tomorrow with a couple tweaks to the lineup and a couple of different offensive weapons up our sleeve,” Myers said.
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