During each season, a team comes to the point when everything really starts to count. Not that the games before were insignificant, but many of the games ahead are much more important.
The Virginia field hockey team enters a Saturday afternoon ACC matchup against Maryland. The Terrapins are 6-5 on the year, but have won just one of their previous four games. For a variety of reasons, the Terrapins game has to be a circled contest on the Cavalier schedule.
Virginia is in midst of an eight-game home stretch before heading to Duke for the last game of the year. The Cavaliers have compiled a record of 3-2 in their five games in Charlottesville this season. Until Wednesday night's loss against William & Mary, however, Virginia had not played at home since Sept. 6.
"It's your home turf," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "I think there is always a little bit of added incentive in trying to protect it."
Virginia enters the contest with just one loss in regular season ACC play, coming at the hand of current No. 1 North Carolina. Including Maryland, the Cavaliers have ACC games remaining against the other four teams in the conference, including an Oct. 17 rematch against the Tar Heels. An upset against either the Terrapins -- who were ranked No. 1 in the nation before losing to current second-seed Wake Forest last week -- or UNC would bring the Cavaliers into fourth place in the conference with the potential to move even higher.
"We've played three top-five teams already, so I think that we are really well-prepared," junior midfielder Katie Phillips said. "We really need to get back on track, and I think that Saturday will be a great day to do it."
On the season, Maryland has dominated its challengers thus far, averaging more than four goals per game. Their opponents have averaged less than one goal per contest.
The Terrapins pose a number of individual offensive threats for the Cavaliers, including junior All-American midfielder Lauren Powley. Maryland's leading scorer in 2004 is versatile junior Tiffany Marsh, with 22 total points.
Christina Restivo is the standout goalkeeper for the Terrapins, but has yet to be truly challenged on the year. Her team has allowed just 4.5 shots per opponent, keeping her overall save total of 23 comparatively low.
"They are tremendously talented in terms of depth," Wilk said. "It is going to have to be a team effort."
Maryland poses a number of offensive threats in any contest it enters. The Cavaliers, however, have the potential to do the same.
"I think clearly we have to clean up some defensive areas, and I think we need to clean up our discipline," Wilk said. "Maryland is very talented and we're going to have our hands full, but again, this is part of sport, and we look forward to the challenge."
If Virginia can get primed for revenge against the team that took it out of the ACC tournament last season, then an upset may not be far out of reach. But that kind of success requires a defensive wall, the ability to challenge opponents offensively and the drive to finish -- which are all attributes that the Cavaliers have demonstrated sparingly so far this season. Saturday against Maryland provides the opportunity to turn that around.
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