The Virginia women's lacrosse team took the field for the first time this weekend since the death of their teammate Yeardley Love. With the frenzy that's been going on for the past two weeks, understandably the team showed some rust, but after a long, hard-fought game, the 'Hoos were able to pull off the win, 14-12, over Towson. Virginia advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship to face No. 3 UNC next weekend.
Their jerseys had a black patch that said "LOVE" on it, and their warmups said "One Team, One Heart, One Love." For the 2,270 in attendance, it was an emotional day all around. After the win, the team held up placards that said "1" on it, as many teammates burst into tears on the field.
"Our players, our coaches, everybody surrounding our program and even people who aren't attached directly to our program," coach Julie Myers said, "have been so strong. They have helped to keep us hopeful and helped to keep us together. They've kept us focused on the right and privilege of being able to still play lacrosse and stay together as a team as we try to sort through the upcoming events."
Cher's Believe played during the game, and no doubt about it, this team believes in life after Love. "I know I wasn't ready to be done and I don't think the girls were even close to being ready either," Myers said. "Probably because we are really competitive; we love playing lacrosse. We feel like we are a good enough team to still be alive. But we also feel we still need to be together as we take these next steps."