The opening weekend of play brought about mixed results for the Cavaliers. On Friday, the team started the season strong with a commanding 5-1 win against Miami University. In the game, No. 5 Virginia (1-1, 0-0 ACC) not only held the Redhawks (1-2, 0-0 MAC) scoreless for over 60 minutes, but they also recorded 26 shots.
The game emphasized the ability of the Cavalier team — which lost only one player from last year — dominated both offensively and defensively. Unfortunately, Virginia was not able to duplicate its success the next game against Penn State, losing 3-0.
The Cavaliers were outshot 21-12 in the contest, a distinct difference from their season opener. However, there were some positive takeaways from the loss.
“A loss always motivates since we want to win,” coach Michele Madison said. “We’re not happy with it and we’re looking to regroup.”
The defeat also gave the team an idea of what specific areas they need to improve upon.
“Knowing what we have to work on now is great because we have a lot of time to prepare, and no game is easy,” senior striker Caleigh Foust said. “Especially going into an ACC game in about a week, it’s good to get a slap in the face now.”
With the win against Miami and the loss against the No. 18 Nittany Lions (2-0, 0-0 Big 10), Virginia had a lot to take away from the opening weekend.
“It’s a perfect combination to get to the drawing board and prioritize what we need to do this weekend,” Madison said.
After the first two games, the focus in practice was to prioritize their own play, rather than focusing on what other teams are doing.
“After Penn State, we really focused on playing our game and not changing what we’re doing based on another team,” Foust said. “I think that’s big in the beginning of the season to focus on our game — it doesn’t depend on who we’re playing.”
The Cavaliers’ next competition will be Rutgers Friday and Delaware Saturday. Both teams come to Charlottesville after big wins this past weekend, 5-0 and 6-3, respectively.
“[Rutgers] always brings a tough game,” Madison said. “They’ll be here 100 percent, and we just have to bring our A-game.”
However, the focus of the team has stayed away from specific opponents. Instead, it has been on improving from both the successes of the first win and of last season, in which the Cavaliers were ranked in the top 10 the entire time.
“This week of practice has gone well,” junior midfielder Tara Vittese said. “After watching film, we know what we have to work on for Friday’s game.”
After getting a day off Monday due to having two games in three days, Virginia has had a strong week of practice in the August heat.
“So far, so good, [a] lot of tempo and energy — things are awesome, and we’re ready to get into it Friday,” Madison said.
The team is making sure not to look ahead of Rutgers (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten). Instead, they are taking it day-by-day.
“I think Michele wants us to just focus on what’s next, so not two games ahead, just Rutgers, and then we’ll focus on Delaware,” Vittese said. “I think just staying in the present is what she wants us to focus on.”
After Rutgers awaits a matchup with No. 14 Delaware (2-0, 0-0 CAA), a team with a strong offense, who has scored at least five goals in both of their games this season. Both teams are familiar opponents for the Cavaliers. The Blue Hens lost to Virginia twice last season — both overtime games — once in the regular season and again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers also lost to the Cavaliers early last season, 5-4.
Vittese had a simple response when asked about Rutgers.
“Bring it,” she said.
The game against Rutgers will begin Friday at 5:00 p.m. The Delaware game will start Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Both games will be hosted in Charlottesville at Turf Field.
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