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SPRING 2024 25 coach and player, LaMonica stepped into a program that was set to bring in a class of some of the nation's top recruits to pair with a strong core. "After that first team call when we found out who our coach would be, we all just got super excited," Hoeg said. "When things settled down, we started thinking about what we liked from last season and what we wanted to change. We started building right away." One of the pieces that would not change about the UVA program was the principle of gratitude. It's a pillar that has been crucial to the program for years and one that La- Monica and her staff place a great deal of emphasis on as well. "Julie Myers and all of our past coaches were really good at making sure we had gratitude for our teammates, our coaches and the sport," Hoeg said. "It's something that Sonia has upheld with our saying of E.A.G. It's a reminder that even when you are having a hard day, there is so much to be grateful for and to keep that thankful- ness as a foundation." Though the principle of gratitude re- mains, LaMonica has brought a highly energetic approach as well as a com- mitment to improving each day and taking things one step at a time. "We really try to focus on what we can get better at every day," Hoeg said. "I think in the past we put a little too much em- phasis on the opponents we faced, and this year we are really focused on us." Hoeg describes herself as a quiet leader, but along with her fellow captains, she has helped to cultivate a collective buy-in to the foun- dation that LaMonica has as- sembled, leading to a strong start to the season that has seen the Cavaliers achieve impressive results against some of the top teams in the nation. "Having each individual be willing to buy-in is so impor- tant," Hoeg said. "Normally the younger girls will follow the attitudes of upperclassmen and it starts to trickle down." Hoeg put up a career-high 40 goals en route to IWLCA first-team all-region and third-team All-America honors in 2023. (Photo courtesy UVA)