Heading into the weekend ranked No. 7, Virginia field hockey returned from the northeast with their first consecutive losses of the season, dropping them down a spot to No. 8.
After a week of wins over rivals North Carolina and William & Mary, losses to Boston College and Boston University came as a shock to the Cavaliers. With the win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, the team looked ready to display its confidence on the road, but these recent losses may prove the Cavaliers still have work to do.
"It's definitely an advantage to be at home and playing in front of your fans," said senior Biffy Cornelison. "The turf at BU was dry and bouncy, and it's something we weren't used to -- that's by no means an excuse for losing, though."
While losing to the Terriers 2-1 was a bit of a surprise, the loss to ACC opponent and No. 9 Eagles 1-0 had a greater effect on the team's outlook for the season. The loss to BC dropped Virginia down to fifth out of six in the ACC standings.
"BC is definitely a good team," Virginia coach Michele Madison said. "We knew that. They played a style that we weren't used to. Our attack wasn't the way it usually was. The opportunities were there, but we didn't put the balls away."
However, the Cavaliers have the chance to redeem themselves on the road as they travel to No. 19 Richmond tonight. Coming off of a win over No. 11 American University, the Spiders have jumped into the top 20 and have recently defeated several ranked teams. In their recent meetings with Virginia, Richmond has been victorious four consecutive times, with an all-time record of 5-17-1. With a home-field advantage over the Cavaliers, the Spiders, led by junior Shannon Taylor, who earned an Atlantic 10 Co-Performer of the Week honor, has the potential to hand Virginia its third straight loss.
"We need to get back to playing our game and focus on ourselves and not the other team," said Cornelison. "We just need to make a few adjustments and get ready for the next two games."
With a 7-3 overall record, the biggest concern for Virginia is the hectic schedule that provides little rest for the team. After two difficult games on the road last weekend, the Cavaliers face both Richmond and Maryland this week. This lack of rest, coupled with the issues associated with playing on an unfamiliar field, may be contributing to the team's recent losses.
"We have one day to prepare for Richmond and one day to prepare for Maryland," Madison said. "Hopefully, all our preparations in practice will help keep us sharp for those two games."
Despite their difficulties this past weekend, the Cavaliers look to head into the week's games with a tighter gameplan and a strong resolve to reverse their losing streak to Richmond.
"I think that these two games were a wake up call for us," Cornelison said. "As long as we stick to the game plan and fix some of the mistakes that we made this weekend I think we'll be fine. We just have to bounce back. We were able to string together a good stretch of wins after the loss to ODU. so we know we can do it."
No. 8 Virginia faces No. 19 Richmond at Crenshaw Field at 4:30 p.m.
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