The Lakeland High School field hockey team will start its journey toward a state title Tuesday evening.

Lakeland will travel up to Northern Virginia as they start their quest for a state title. They will have to go through James Monroe High School to get there. Last week, the Lady Cavs competed in the quarterfinal and semifinal of the Class 3 Region A tournament. They took a win over Colonial Heights High School in the quarterfinals but were shut out in the semifinals against Poquoson High School. Poquoson went on to become the eventual regional champions as the No. 2 seed.

Despite the loss, Lakeland was still able to advance to the state tournament due to rule changes and alignments. They are excited about the opportunity to get on the field again to make up for their last performance.

“I think it’s good that we get the chance to redeem ourselves and play better,” senior Kaleigh Bell said. “No matter what, I think we all want to end our season better than we were the last time we played. Hopefully, that means going to the championship.”

Lakeland’s last loss resulted in a 3-0 score. Coach Jamee Albright believed they could have done a better job finishing with the ball but felt very good about the team’s strong defense.

“We just couldn’t find the net,” Albright said. “But our defense was amazing as it has been all year.”

Albright is equally as excited for her players that they get a chance to step back on the field one more time.

“The seniors are the heart of this team, and I hope for them we can go win states,” Albright said. “It’s about all of the girls stepping up and playing like I know they can play.”

“We are grateful to be able to have this opportunity,” senior Allison Thompson said. “We are looking forward to playing against teams we haven’t played before. I am super excited for us.”

James Monroe will be a tall task for Lakeland. They were the No. 1 seed in Class 3 Region B and also took the Class 3 Region B regional championship and currently have a 16-3 record. Lakeland will be the second team James Monroe has seen from the Hampton Roads area. They took down Class 3 Region A champion Poquoson High School 3-0 during the regular season.

Lakeland will head up to James Monroe to play at 6 p.m. Tuesday.