When judging the excitement of an upcoming game, what is better than an in-state rivalry?
Tomorrow, the No. 13 Virginia field hockey team will put its 6-4 overall record on the line against 5-4 William & Mary. Last year's 4-3 overtime loss at Busch Field in Williamsburg on Oct. 1 marked one of several tightly-fought contests between the two foes.
"Traditionally our games with William & Mary are always close, they are always a battle, and I am not expecting otherwise," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said.
Though Virginia leads the all-time series 18-14-2, it has been a tight competition between these two schools. The longstanding tradition of competition began nearly 20 years ago with both teams meeting every year since the 1985 season. Recently, the Tribe has taken two of the last three meetings, but Virginia won in 2002 with a thrilling double overtime win, 2-1, in Charlottesville. Both of Virginia's losses, however, have come in Williamsburg. Tomorrow's contest will take place in the friendlier confines of U-Hall Turf Field.
"Playing at home gives us a boost and is also a whole lot less stressful," junior midfielder Allie Flynn said. "There isn't a bus ride, you don't have to deal with hotels, and we can really focus more on coming out to play."
Leading the Tribe attack are junior Kelly Giles and senior Ginny Sutton, first and second, respectively, on their team in scoring. Sutton, however, brings more experience to the game because she has faced Virginia more times than the younger Giles. Against Virginia last year Sutton scored one goal and one assist. So far this year she has 12 points (five goals and two assists) which is good for a seventh place tie in the Colonial Athletic Association.
"She's a great player, and you have to shut her down, but they have some other offensive weapons as well," Wilk said. "We're really looking to play solid team defense, hopefully create some good matchups and do a better job of shutting them down."
Defense has been a cause of concern for Virginia recently, especially against its toughest opponents. Virginia has played five currently ranked teams, including No. 12 Boston College, No. 4 Michigan State, No. 11 Richmond, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 7 Old Dominion. They are scheduled to play No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 3 Maryland later this season.
Virginia senior goalkeeper Logan Carr and sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Blair continue to compete for the starting role as they have all season long. Carr, with a 2.57 GAA (goals against average), started against Boston College, Richmond and James Madison. Blair (2.47 GAA) started against Quinnipaic, North Carolina and Old Dominion. Both split time fairly evenly in the other four games. Carr and Blair have alternated starts over the last six games. Carr has won two of the three starts compared to Blair's one win in her three starts.
"Our schedule against so many top 10 teams has been tiring, but at the same time will certainly prepare us for the remainder of our games," Flynn said. "I think going into tomorrow, our schedule has definitely helped us to prepare and given us some type of advantage."
With the benefit of a home game at Turf Field, Virginia hopes to address one area of need -- such as defense -- and close out a game against its rival from 120 miles down the road.
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | 22 hours agoHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
TILOCK: The real Virginia baseball just stood up
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' chronic issues are dwindling, and underperforming stars are ascending.
Dietrich’s comeback clincher sends No. 7 seed men’s tennis to NCAA quarterfinals
By Margaret Piatos | 2 days agoFor the 18th time in 20 years, Virginia is headed to the quarterfinals.
