The Cavalier field hockey team continued its struggle against top teams with a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Maryland Sunday, but Virginia must now try to rebound against Virginia Commonwealth tonight at 7 p.m. at the University Hall Turf Field.
Virginia's loss to Maryland was just plain ugly. The Terps were clearly the better team Sunday night, dominating the Cavs in every aspect of the game. The one saving grace for Virginia was goalie Becky Worthington, who managed to make 13 saves under heavy fire.
No. 10 Virginia (4-4, 0-2 ACC) lost to No. 2 Old Dominion Sept. 24 and then-No. 2 North Carolina Sept. 17. The fourth Cav loss was to No. 6 Penn State. Virginia has a very challenging schedule featuring nine of the top 20 teams in this week's national poll, including five of the top six teams. This difficult schedule is a result of the wealth of talent in the ACC and the Commonwealth of Virginia in general, with teams like Old Dominion, William & Mary and James Madison also in the top 20.
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After the crushing loss to the Terrapins, Virginia senior back Julia Richardson sees many areas in which the Cavs can improve.
"We need to start back at the basics and build from there," Richardson said. "All around we just need to have a much better game. We need to get back to the basics - that's all it is."
Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said she looks at the Maryland game as a learning experience.
"We're going to try to learn from this loss and try to get better as a team," Wilk said. "We're going to try to come out and make the corrections."
Virginia will be led by junior forward Lorraine Vizzuso, who last week moved up to seventh and 10th on the Cavalier all-time points and goals lists, respectively.
If any opponent can get the Cavs back on track, it's VCU. The Rams (1-7) are on a six-game losing streak that includes a 13-0 drubbing by second-ranked Old Dominion Sept. 23. VCU is led by Russian senior forward Masha Sonina, who leads the team with three goals and six points. Sonina achieved second team all-conference honors last season for the second straight year.
"They're a strong team." Wilk said of the Rams. "I saw them play against Old Dominion [and] I don't think that score was indicative of the type of team they are. I think they got down a couple of goals early, and that kind of hurt them, but they're a feisty team and they're going to come in here ready to play. We need to be ready to step out on the field, focus, and stick to the game plan."
But Richardson said the Cavaliers expect nothing less than a sound win over their in-state opponents.
"I expect to beat VCU by 5-0 the same way Maryland beat us," Richardson said.
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