On Tuesday night, Virginia women’s lacrosse coach Julie Myers told The Daily Progress that the last thing Yeardley Love would have wanted was for the team not to play in the NCAA tournament because of something having to do with her.
To that end, Myers’ team, with heavy hearts, took to the field at an undisclosed location on Thursday morning. It was the squad’s first practice since the tragic events that led to men’s lacrosse player George Huguely being charged with first-degree murder in Love’s death Monday.
The men’s team, meanwhile, practiced on Wednesday but didn’t do so on Thursday, according to a university spokesperson. However, a handful of players could be seen tossing around a ball at the team’s usual field.
Virginia coach Dom Starsia, in light of the tragedy, had previously conducted optional practices.
With the NCAA tournament selection show set for Sunday night, both teams have started the difficult task of focusing on their on-field challenges.
“We’ll figure out who our opponent is,” said Myers on Tuesday night, “and be our best for whoever’s on our schedule.”
Both teams are having strong seasons.
The men, who last won an NCAA title in 2006 — they’ve been upset in the Final Four in each of the last two seasons — had been on a roll. They got a monkey off their back with a win in the ACC tournament semifinals over Duke in College Park, Md., on April 23, then soundly defeated Maryland in the title game.
“In my mind, they’re the best team in the country right now,” said Maryland coach Dave Cottle afterward. “They should be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament when you look at their resume.”
The women, meanwhile, are ranked No. 5 in the nation. They lost at Maryland, 10-6, in the ACC tournament semifinals. Coincidentally, that was taking place just across a parking lot from where the men were beating Duke.
The Virginia women closed out their regular season with an 11-8 overtime loss at Northwestern last Friday in a game that wound up being Love’s last.
During the upcoming tournament, both the men’s and women’s teams are expected to honor Love with either decals or patches on their jerseys.
On Thursday, posters on one prominent Virginia fan message board gave their suggestions for the tribute. One idea came from the board’s host, who had the idea for a heart-shaped patch with Love’s No. 1 in the center.
According to a school spokesperson, the women’s team will go to a wake for Love today, and then attend her funeral on Saturday. Men’s players are also expected to attend.
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