The Stanford field hockey team will finish its regular-season play this week with a tour through Virginia, facing the University of Virginia, Longwood and Radford.

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Mike Ramm

Sophomore forward Caroline Hussey and the Cardinal will play three games in Virginia this weekend to close the regular season. After several close losses, the team has won two straight conference matches by wide margins and hope to keep that momentum when they face No. 6 UVA.

This season has been filled with narrow defeats for the Cardinal (6-8, 3-1 North Pacific Athletic Conference), including two games that went into overtime. Six of the team’s eight losses have been determined by only a single goal. The Cardinal did not play a NorPac opponent until its tenth game of 2006, and six of the team’s losses came in those non-conference matches.

“We have played a very tough schedule this year,” head coach Lesley Irvine said. “This has helped prepare us for our conference opponents.”

In its past two games, the field hockey team defeated Davidson 4-1 and Appalachian State 5-1, both NorPac opponents. The defense’s aggressive and effective play enabled Stanford to walk away with the two easy victories and earned several Cardinal players recent NorPac honors.

The attack has also done its part to keep the team winning by increasing the final shot total, keeping the ball at the opponent’s goal circle and increasing the frequency of offensive penalty corners.

But after playing two of the cellar-dwellers in the NorPac, the players will have their work cut out for them during this East-Coast stint.

On Friday, Stanford will take on Virginia, ranked sixth in the NCAA with a record of 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the South Regional. According to Irvine, playing the Cavaliers will be an “excellent opportunity” for her team.

Following the UVA game, the Cardinal will face two conference opponents, starting with Longwood (4-9, 1-1). The Lancers are coming off of a five-game losing streak.

The Cardinal will finish off its regular season with a game against Radford (4-11, 1-2). The Highlanders have lost their past six games, three of which went into overtime.

These last two games are key for Stanford, because they will determine the Cardinal’s placement in the upcoming NorPac Championships.

“It is critical we take care of our conference games in Virginia so we set ourselves up as one of the top two seeds in our conference tournament at the end of the month,” Irvine said.

Should the Longwood and Radford games go as hoped, Stanford will end the regular season with a 5-1 NorPac record and enter the championships seeded in first or second place.

Regardless, Stanford’s first game of the conference tournament will take place Nov. 2.