One of Steve Spurrier's favorite things to do as coach of the Florida Gators was beat up on Vanderbilt in football games. This weekend, the Virginia women's lacrosse team also hopes to get a win against the Commodores that would help right its ship.
With a final tune-up before the ACC women's lacrosse championship, No. 3 Virginia (11-3) will need to get back on track against No. 19 Vanderbilt (6-6). The Cavaliers are coming off a 13-11 loss to No. 7 Georgetown and will look to grab their 12th win of the season by toppling the Commodores. Despite stumbling for the first time ever against Georgetown, Virginia coach Julie Myers said her team is unified.
"We're all on the same page," Myers said. "We all play together, we win together and we lose together. I think everyone has to take responsibility in preparation, but I think one of our strengths is that everyone believes in each other."
That team unity will be needed as the Cavaliers try to rebound from a poor shooting game Wednesday night. The Cavaliers converted only 11 of 31 shots against the Hoyas -- a low percentage for a team that is on top of the ACC in team shooting percentage. Georgetown's goalies combined for nine saves in the game, which means that Virginia missed more shots than were saved.
Senior Amy Appelt took the most shots for the Cavaliers with 14. Appelt converted on a fair amount of her shots, scoring five goals. Vanderbilt is giving up only 9.82 goals per game and is holding opponents to a 37.4 shooting percentage, so the Cavaliers will face another challenge from a strong defensive unit.
Another aspect of the game that Virginia will need to win is the mental battle. With a win, the Cavaliers can enter the ACC Tournament with some confidence. With a non-conference game preceding the Tournament, there could be a chance for a let down, but Myers does not foresee that happening.
"I don't think our opponent matters, it's what we're willing to do as a team," Myers said. "And that happens in practice and carries out onto the field. But I don't think it's any one opponent that we are worried about. We need to execute better and finish all of our opportunities."
Another outcome the Cavaliers need this weekend is something that is outside their control: a Virginia Tech win over Duke. If the Hokies can beat the Blue Devils, Virginia will enter next week's ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers currently have a 3-1 record in the ACC, with the lone loss coming against Duke. But Virginia players know that they have done all they can to help themselves heading into the Tournament.
"I think we knew in our last ACC game we needed to get our record up for the Tournament," Virginia attacker Tyler Leachman said after the April 15 win over Virginia Tech.
With the postseason looming, Virginia will look to defend its ACC Tournament Championship from a year ago. Before that tournament, however, the Cavaliers will need to get past yet another top-20 opponent. As the ranking shows, this Commodore team may not be weak like their football team, but the Cavaliers would still like to be able to get a big win over them this weekend.
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | 18 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.
