The field hockey team will hit the road this weekend to take on No. 12 Boston College and Boston University.
Friday’s matchup with the Eagles marks the beginning of conference play for the Cavaliers, a stretch of their schedule that boasts five of the current top 10 teams in the country. No. 8 Virginia (8-1) has yet to play a game outside of the commonwealth this season; Virginia’s lone road match came against James Madison, which resulted in the team’s only loss thus far. These two games will be a good test for the young team to see how far they have come so far this season.
“I think we are further ahead than we were last year at this point, but we still have a lot of room to grow,” senior back Lucy Meyers said. “I feel like we are there talent-wise; we just have to put it together.”
The Cavaliers will look to improve upon their dismal ACC record in recent years, as they have won just two games in conference since 2003; both of those victories came in the last two years under coach Michele Madison.
In the two years under Madison, however, Virginia has not seen success against either Boston College or Boston University. This is the third consecutive season that the Cavaliers will take on Boston College and Boston University in the same weekend in late September; in each of the last two years, Virginia ended the weekend with two losses. Last year’s losses came at home, while in 2006 the team was swept in Boston on a trip that the team commonly termed “the Boston massacre.”
Virginia will first look to shake its lack of success historically, both in conference and in Boston, against the Eagles (6-1, 0-1 ACC). Boston College is 3-0 at home so far this season, but the team had a poor showing to begin conference play, falling 0-5 to then-No. 2 Maryland last weekend. In addition, though Boston College has had Virginia’s number in regular-season play, the Cavaliers have defeated the Eagles in the first round of the ACC Tournament each of the last two years, earning a 3-2 upset in extra time in 2007 and a 2-1 victory in 2006.
This looks to be a highly competitive game that will set the tone for the remainder of Virginia’s ACC schedule. The Cavaliers will use their experience garnered from their competitive games against JMU and Ohio to help them get through the games in Boston.
“I think it was definitely good experience to get under our belts,” senior goalkeeper Amy Desjadon said. “Because BC is a no-BS team.”
Boston University, however, is a less imposing squad than BC. The Terriers are currently 3-5 and are coming off a close win against Central Michigan 1-0 and a one-sided 1-5 loss to No. 6 Iowa. Virginia, however, has never beaten Boston University, posting an 0-3 record all-time against the Terriers.
“Boston is no joke, and now we know not to take anyone lightly,” Meyers said. “Start off at minute one and finish. Now we know that we can’t take anything for granted.”
Virginia will rely on the experience of its upperclassmen, namely the seniors, to pull the team through this tough stretch of games. Madison said she has great faith in her seniors and knows nothing can replace experience on the turf; seniors Meyers, Desjadon, and Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn will be key in the team’s success for the rest of the season.
The Cavaliers have yet to play the heart of their schedule; most notably, Virginia hosts No. 2 Maryland Oct. 4 and No. 1 Wake Forest Oct. 25. The Cavs hope to use the trip to Boston as a stepping stone for the remainder of the difficult conference schedule.
“I think experience is definitely key because you learn not to overlook teams,” Desjadon said. “You can be better than the team but you can never be better than the game.”
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