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cavalier sports 6 CAVALIER CORNER A redshirt fourth-year, Carrera Lucas switched from playing goal in lacrosse for the Cavaliers to goal in field hockey. Lucas has started 44 of the last 57 games for the UVA field hockey squad. Over the last two summers, she has also played with the USWNT National Development Team. Cavalier Corner: Why did you stop playing lacrosse, which you did in high school and in 2015 at UVA, and concentrate on field hockey? Lucas: "I made the decision in high school that I wanted to play both at the highest level at an elite Division I school. I had to do a lot of reflection before college. "I saw how I got to move around as a field hockey goalie. It's a skill-based position in lacrosse whereas field hockey I felt I had more freedom to use my athleticism." Cavalier Corner: Why did you decide to play goal instead of another position? Lucas: "The initial reason was because there weren't enough goalies at my high school. In middle school, I was the kid who was fearless enough to say I would play half a game in goal. "In high school, the AD asked me if I would be interested in making the transition to goalie." Cavalier Corner: In what way has playing field hockey at Virginia prepared you for playing on U.S. National Teams? Lucas: "The one thing that strikes me about my career was the variety of different roles I've been through, including being low man on the totem pole and competing for my spot [with Rebecca Holden]. "We'd split time in games and there would be times I didn't get in the game. As a third-stringer I would get most of my reps with my goalkeeper coach." Cavalier Corner: What was your experience like playing for the 2018 U.S. Women's National Development Squad against teams from Chile in May? Lucas: "It was important to be on a team that had fun. We had four members of the Senior National Team competing with us. "The Senior National Team members didn't gloss over infor- mation, but engaged us in conversations." Cavalier Corner: Since you're playing against the best fe- male field hockey players in the world how has this helped you improve? Lucas: "I've been a person who's worked as hard as I can instead of chasing personal goals. I strive to be better every day. "Playing against the best players takes some of the anxiety out of it." — Mike Scandura Lucas was named to the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches' Association All-South Region second team in 2016 and 2017. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA five questions with Redshirt Fourth-Year Goalie Carrera Lucas