[caption id="attachment_30029" align="alignleft" width="231" caption="Junior midfielder Sinead Farrelly, who frequently played at the forward position last year, will lead the midfield in 2009.
[caption id="attachment_29849" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Freshman forward Caroline Miller scored one of Virginia's five goals against Liberty, contributing to the Cavaliers' impressive offensive attack over the weekend.
[caption id="attachment_29801" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Sophomore forward Lauren Alwine led Virginia in 2008 with 14 assists.
[caption id="attachment_29755" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Sophomore defender Katie Carr did not start a single game last season, but this fall, she could be asked to step up into a more pivotal role for the inexperienced Cavalier backline.
Every season, collegiate athletic programs across the country cope with losing talent and experience to graduation. "It's one of the challenges we face as coaches because just when you feel like they are coming together after four years they have to leave," women's soccer coach Steve Swanson said. How much a team is affected from losing experienced players may vary from season to season, but inevitably, there is no such thing as a "contract extension" in Division I. The women's soccer team said goodbye to seven seniors last year - most notably senior defender and two-time first team All-American Nikki Krzyik.
