The No. 9 Virginia women’s lacrosse team will host No. 7 Princeton Saturday at Klöckner Stadium.
The Cavaliers (6-2, 1-2 ACC) are coming off of a hard fought overtime win against in-state rival William & Mary earlier this week. Virginia has been in somewhat of a slump since it beat then-No. 3 Syracuse three weeks ago. In the four games since that victory, the Cavaliers have lost to then-No. 3 Maryland and then-No. 9 North Carolina, and needed overtime to escape with wins against two other opponents.
The Tigers (4-1) meanwhile, have faced three ranked opponents this season, defeating Johns Hopkins and Penn State but losing to Duke. Virginia also was able to overcome Penn State, defeating the Nittany Lions 12-11 in overtime.
“I think we are going to have close games,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “Gone are the days when you show up and because you are Virginia you are going to win by eight because people are intimidated.”
Virginia also will have to contend with an impressive sophomore between the pipes: Princeton goalkeeper Erin Tochihara. Tochihara was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Monday for her performance against Penn State in which she stopped 13 shots — nine of which were in the first half. Tochihara recorded a career-high 16 saves in a losing effort against Duke, and she is only allowing 8.54 goals per game.
Tochihara’s play could pose difficulties for the Cavaliers, who have recently struggled with their offensive efficiency. They are only converting 44.5 percent of their shots on goal and could have a hard time scoring against Tochihara, who is first in the Ivy League in save percentage (.594) and saves per game (10.25).
“We don’t want all of the games to be easy because then we are just going to keep going through the motions,” junior attack Whitaker Hagerman said. “[Our opponents] just keep pushing us. We know that no matter what all of our competitors every single game are going to be tough.”
The Tigers do not have any superstar players on offense; they are, however, a balanced group, as six players have recorded at least six goals this season. The Tigers have played close games this entire season, with their largest margin of victory or loss being four goals.
Virginia should prepare itself for another defensive-minded game and will have to make the most of its scoring opportunities. Virginia still has a long way to go before the NCAA Tournament, and the game this weekend against Princeton could provide some beneficial experience against a high-caliber opponent.
“We still have a lot of games ahead of us and we need to work on a lot of different things and hopefully we will win in the end when it really matters,” senior midfielder Blair Weymouth said. “We will be a much better team come May.”
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