The great Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz once said, "Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it." With those words, he unknowingly summed up the University of Virginia field hockey team's early-season situation.
Standing at 2-3 and caught in a three-game losing skid, things have not exactly gone according to plan so far for the senior-laden team.
But while high expectations follow a team full of upperclassmen, these same seniors also bring valuable perspective to a season that is not even four weeks old.
"It's frustrating," Allie Flynn said. "We know we're better than we were last year, and the year before. I think people came into this season really thinking this was going to be the year, and we just need to make sure we still look at it that way."
Flynn is one of seven seniors on the team, and head coach Jess Wilk said she has been pleased with the tone both the juniors and seniors have set.
"They bring great leadership," Wilk said. "Allie [Flynn], Katie [Phillips] and Erin [Hayes] have all done a great job leading by example. They're very good vocal leaders, and I think the rest of the fourth-year class has really stepped up well."
Thus, despite rough sledding in the early going, the team has remained positive and focused on taking it one game at a time and letting the win-loss record work itself out.
Unfortunately, the polls aren't as forgiving.
In the year's first STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, Virginia was left out of the Top 20, although the team did receive votes.
Two of Virginia's opponents thus far are in the thick of the rankings or are poised to leap in. Old Dominion is ranked No.9 and Northwestern is just shy of the Top 20. Friday's opponent, James Madison, is No.15.
Wilk said she was not surprised to see the team on the outside, looking in at the Top 20, but expects her team to rebound and climb the rankings over the next few weeks.
"Very clearly I think we're a team that can be in the Top 20," Wilk said. "I think we're looking to move into the Top 10, and work our way back up. We've had our struggles early on, and I think we're probably about where we should be at this point. But, I certainly know the team is capable of far more."
Virginia will have a chance to prove it belongs in the upper echelon against the Dukes. Virginia eked out a 3-2 overtime victory last year in Harrisonburg. James Madison is 4-2 on the season, with one of its losses coming against No. 3 North Carolina.
One of the major keys to the game for Virginia will be Amy Desjadon's first career start in the net. The sophomore is filling in for Kat Blair, who is in Chile participating in the Junior World Cup.
Wilk said she does not foresee nerves affecting the Berwyn, Pa. native, and is anticipating no drop-off in performance from Blair to Desjadon.
"I think she's excited, I think she's ready and I expect her to have a good game," Wilk said.
Sunday, the Cavaliers will close out the weekend against Monmouth. The Hawks are 1-5 and were blown out by UNC 7-0 this past weekend. They gathered their first win against La Salle Tuesday, posting a 3-1 victory.
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