After suffering its first loss of the season Sunday at the hands of Penn State, the No. 14 Virginia women's soccer team looks to regroup tonight at home against No. 6 Maryland - the first conference foe that the Cavaliers (6-1-1) will face during the 2011 campaign.
Last weekend's Virginia Nike Soccer Classic ended in frustration for the Cavaliers as they finished in a scoreless tie against unranked Washington State and were downed 3-2 against the No. 21 Nittany Lions. The draw and loss snapped Virginia's six-game win streak - the best season start for the Cavaliers since 2004 - and yielded feelings of disappointment within the Cavaliers' ranks.
"We need to get ourselves away from [the Penn State] game and not think about it," senior defender Amanda Fancher said.
Maryland (6-0-2) will not make it easy for Virginia to bounce back from last weekend's disappointing finish, however, as the Terrapins enter the match after going undefeated in non-conference play - a stretch of eight games during which the squad only allowed a single goal while scoring 24 of its own.
"We've played them before, [and] we know their lineup," Fancher said. "We know everything that we need to know, so we just have to come out prepared."
The Cavaliers expect that tonight's match will be a toe-to-toe clash of ACC powers as both teams boast strong goalkeeping and even stronger offensive games. Virginia, which ranks No. 5 in the nation in scoring, scored an average of 3.5 goals per game during non-conference play compared to Maryland's three. The Cavaliers did not have as much success as the Terrapins on the defensive side of the ball, however, surrendering six goals in comparison to Maryland's one.
Senior goalkeeper Yewande Balogun highlights Maryland's impressive defensive unit as she currently boasts a .964 save percentage and has registered 27 saves already this year. Virginia senior goalkeeper Chantel Jones, meanwhile, touts a .684 save percentage and 13 saves but has received slightly more help from her defense. The Cavaliers have held their opponents to only 42 shots on goal, while the Terrapins have yielded 63 shots on goal.
In terms of offense, both teams have shown a balanced attacking force during 2011 with five players scoring three or more goals. Junior forward Caroline Miller leads Virginia in scoring with seven goals and 17 points, but she might not have the opportunity to take the field against the stingy Maryland defense tonight. Miller's status is questionable because of a sprained ankle that she sustained against the Nittany Lions Sunday. Despite the potential loss of Miller on the Cavaliers' attack, Virginia coach Steve Swanson still expects a close, hard-fought battle and plenty of action at both ends of the pitch.
"This is the way it's going to be the rest of the season. We know this, and we don't have any false illusions," Swanson said. "Our ability to get better in certain areas is what is going to make the most difference in our conference ... The teams that improve between now and the end of the season are the teams that usually do well in the tournament or postseason play."\nSwanson hopes that Sunday's loss, which served as a shock to the team's system, ignites a strong mental response in the Cavaliers, who will hit the road to play the likes of No. 5 Duke, No. 7 North Carolina and No. 18 Boston College during the upcoming weeks.
"We just need to get our rest, and this week at practice we need to battle hard," freshman midfielder Morgan Brian said. "We need to realize that [a loss] can't happen again."
Tonight's tilt is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
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