After exiting the ACC Tournament in the semifinal round last weekend, the No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse team looks to rebound against reigning NCAA champion No. 2 Northwestern tomorrow evening in the squad's first-ever trip to Evanston, Ill.
Although the two teams have faced each other only nine times since 1987, the Cavaliers and the Wildcats share a storied history. The two programs have met twice in the NCAA Finals during the past five years. Northwestern edged the Cavaliers in both matchups by a mere three goals in 2005 and two goals in 2007. Last season, the Virginia squad nearly avenged the narrow losses in the NCAA finals and almost ended the Wildcats' perfect season, but ultimately fell short 10-11 at home.
This season, the Cavaliers (13-4, 4-1 ACC) are ready to earn their first win against Northwestern since 2004 and further solidify themselves as one of the top women's lacrosse programs in the nation. This matchup also may have postseason implications because its result could affect what seed Virginia receives in the NCAA Tournament, which is slated to begin May 15.
"I think any time you play a top-ranked team, you're excited about it," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "Northwestern has definitely had the better of the matchups in the last few years, so it makes it a little bit more exciting. The fact that they're national champions, the fact that they've gotten a couple of those games off of us only adds incentive."
Garnering a win and exacting revenge, however, could prove to be a tall task for the talented Virginia squad. Northwestern has won five straight NCAA Championships and is poised to make a run at its sixth this season. The Wildcats boast a 13-1 record this season and have won 59 out of their last 60 games at Lakeside Field.
Furthermore, the Northwestern attack leads the NCAA in offensive production, averaging an impressive 16.71 goals per game and an average margin of victory of 8.14 scores. During the team's most recent outing against Vanderbilt last Saturday, the Wildcats tallied 27 goals to earn their regular season conference crown. Senior midfielders Katrina Dowd and Danielle Spencer led the way offensively to increase their season totals to 51 goals and 43 goals, respectively. Overall, Dowd ranks third in the nation in goals per game with an average of nearly four scores per contest.
Myers, however, remains hopeful that the team can close out their regular season with a win. The Cavaliers will need to make relatively few mistakes against Northwestern, she said, and will need to rectify the problems that they displayed against Maryland last Friday in the conference tournament.
The Cavaliers only successfully cleared 1-of-6 attempts during the second half and 6-of-13 throughout the whole game in the 10-6 loss. The Virginia squad also turned the ball over twice as many times as its opponent, leading to fast break scoring opportunities for the Terrapins.
If the Cavaliers can perform better in transition and regain the balanced attack they produced prior to last Friday's loss, the team believes it can earn its ninth win in 10 games and ride this momentum into the NCAA Tournament.
"I consider Northwestern the most competitive team outside of the ACC," junior defender Marghi Walters said. "Beating them would really solidify our place in NCAA Division I lacrosse and also solidify how well we've been doing this year. They are the best team in the country, so if we can beat them, then obviously it would show how good of a team we really are going into postseason."
Senior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein will play an integral role in the matchup against Northwestern. The team captain - and scoring leader - netted eight goals in the conference tournament in addition to gathering eight draw controls. Kalkstein ranks second in the nation in draw controls and currently is seven draw controls away from tying the NCAA all-time record.
Following Friday's matchup, Kalkstein and the rest of the Cavaliers will wait and see who they will face in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and start preparing to bring the NCAA Championship back to Charlottesville for the first time since 2004.
Read More
Virginia baseball falters, drops series to NC State
By Jacob Tisdale | YesterdayVirginia dropped a crucial ACC series, endangering a top seed in the conference tournament.
Women’s lacrosse upset in season-ending defeat against Florida
By Matthew Ryeom | YesterdayThe Cavaliers kept it close until the fourth quarter, where they ultimately came up short.
No. 6 men’s lacrosse trumps Saint Joseph’s 17-11 as Cormier breaks NCAA scoring record
By Ben Istvan | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers snapped their four-game losing streak with a comfortable win over the Hawks.
