Following its second most successful regular season since ACC play began in 1987, No. 2 seeded Virginia begins its conference tournament at noon today against seventh seeded Virginia Tech (11-7, 4-5 ACC).
This season has, thus far, been one of pleasant surprises for the Cavaliers. Picked in the preseason to finish third in the ACC behind North Carolina and Florida State, Virginia has surpassed expectations compiling a 14-2-1 overall record and a 6-2-1 ACC mark, finishing a close second to UNC. Key victories over Florida State, UCLA and Duke (who have all been ranked in the top 10 at some point this season), have greatly increased expectations as the Cavaliers begin postseason play today.
"I think we are really excited," sophomore midfielder Shannon Foley said. "This is what we've been working for. We really want to do well and keep going."
Since defeating N.C. State 3-0 last Wednesday to cap off a perfect home record, Virginia has had a week of rest in preparation for the start of tournament play. With only five healthy reserves on Virginia's bench, the Cavaliers should benefit greatly from the extra time off. Virginia's track record in the conference tournament has been anything but stellar in recent years (zero championship appearances in the past four seasons), something the team attributes to a lack of preparation time.
"I know last year, I felt like we were banged up going into the ACC tournament," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "It's no excuse, but you really have to go into that tournament a little bit fresh and be healthy if you are going to try and win it."
In addition to being healthy, a favorable tournament draw should benefit the Cavaliers this weekend. If they continue to win, the Cavaliers will not have to face a team that they haven't already beaten until the final round. In the first round, Virginia faces in-state rival Virginia Tech, who they defeated 3-0 in Charlottesville earlier this season.
Tech "is going to play aggressive," senior defender Jamie Fabrizio said. "It was a good game the last time we played them, and now they have nothing to lose. They already won their first game, so they are going to come out hard."
In the first match between these schools just two weeks ago, junior Sarah Huffman had a season-defining game, scoring two goals while controlling the pace of the game and dominating Tech's inexperienced midfield. On the season, Huffman is third on the team in points, notching four goals and 11 assists. But maybe more importantly, Huffman is part of a Cavalier defense that has been indisputably one of the best in the country. Virginia's defense has allowed an ACC-low eight totals goals in 17 games. For her performances, Huffman was named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week.
If the Cavaliers are able to get past Virginia Tech today, strong defensive play will be key to venturing deep into the weekend. A second round matchup would feature either Florida State or Clemson. While the Seminoles and the Tigers have spent significant time this season in the Top 25, both were shutout by the Cavaliers in their previous meeting. Looking even further, a rematch against North Carolina in the championship game is a distinct possibility.
"I know personally, I want to play UNC again," Foley said. "I'm really hoping they get to the finals and we get to the finals we get to play them again."
Whatever happens this weekend, Virginia will almost definitely receive a top seed in the NCAA tournament and will, in all likelihood, host multiple early round games at Klöckner. But if past ACC tournament results are used as motivation, Virginia will not be looking beyond this weekend and may just surprise a few new people.
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