No. 2 Cavaliers open season at Virginia Tech

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 2 Virginia women’s lacrosse team will travel just down the road to open their 2008 season. The Cavaliers will face Virginia Tech at 4 p.m., at Tech Lacrosse Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., on Wednesday afternoon. The game will mark the first for Virginia this season, in addition to the first ACC contest for both teams.

Junior All-American Blair Weymouth and US national team members, seniors Megan O’Malley and Kendall McBrearty, lead the Cavaliers this year. Weymouth is Virginia’s top returning scorer, while McBrearty is the returning starting goalkeeper. Weymouth ranked fifth in the ACC for goals and points per game a year ago, while McBrearty ranked eighth nationally in goals against average, giving up only 8.31 goals per game.

Senior Kady McBrearty, twin sister of the Cavaliers’ goalkeeper, leads the Hokies. In last season’s meeting, Kady scored two goals for the Hokies’ on Kendall. Kady was a 2007 All-ACC selection, and led Tech with 31 goals and 21 assists last year. She was one of three Hokies to tally two goals in their 13-10 loss to Drexel on Sunday to open this season.

In the all-time series between the two schools, Virginia holds an unblemished 11-0 record. The Cavaliers are 3-0 since the Hokies have joined the ACC and hold a 5-0 record when in Blacksburg.

Last year, despite a slow start in the game, Virginia scored eight straight goals to control a 1-1 contest, en route to a 15-2 victory at home. Kate Breslin scored six goals to lead Virginia, while junior Ashley McCulloch tallied two goals and four assists. Sophomores Brittany Kalkstein and Yeardley Love both notched their first collegiate goals in the contest.

Virginia ranks as the preseason No. 2 team in the nation. Northwestern, the 2007 national champion, holds the top spot, while ACC-rivals Maryland and North Carolina claim the third and fourth spots, respectively, in the Inside Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 Media Poll, as released on Monday. Duke, Pennsylvania, Notre Dame and Yale complete the top-10.

Of the Cavaliers’ 15 regular-season opponents, 10 are ranked in the top-20. Before seasons end, Virginia will play host to No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Syracuse, No. 11 John’s Hopkins and No. 15 James Madison. Virginia is also the host school for the ACC Tournament.

Up next, the Cavaliers travel to No. 19 Richmond for a 3 p.m., contest in Richmond, Va., on Wed., Feb. 27.