Syracuse field hockey stays at No. 9 in NFHCA Poll
Syracuse didn't move in the Week 7 rankings after a last-second 4-3 loss to now-No. 1 North Carolina. Tara Deluca | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse field hockey remained at No. 9 in the Week 7 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll on Tuesday, despite being downed 4-3 in a two-goal comeback from then-No. 2 North Carolina Friday.
The loss prolonged the Orange’s struggles against top teams and put them at 10-4 on the season and 2-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This campaign marks the first time the Orange have had a 33% ACC win percentage since head coach Lynn Farquhar’s first season at the helm.
SU earned 131 points in the poll, 29 points ahead of No. 10 Iowa. It’s the lowest number of points the Orange have totaled since the Preseason Poll, where their 99 points placed them 11th following an NCAA Tournament defeat to then-No.10 Harvard last year.
Further up the table, Syracuse’s Week 7 competition — North Carolina — won a close battle with now-No. 2 Northwestern, bumping UNC to the No. 1 spot for the first time all year. With 215 points and six first-place votes, the No. 1 Tar Heels narrowly edged the Wildcats, who totaled 209 points and five first-place votes. The two squads are followed by No. 3 Virginia (194), No. 4 Harvard (193), No. 5 Princeton (172), No. 6 Wake Forest (171), No. 7 Liberty (150) and No. 8 Duke (144).
The four ACC squads ranked ahead of SU makes it one of five ACC teams in the top 20 this week, along with North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest and Duke. California, which ranked 19th in last week’s poll, went unranked after losses on Friday and Sunday to Louisville and Wake Forest.
Syracuse travels to Chestnut Hill to face Boston College this Friday, before wrapping up regular season and conference play in Louisville on Nov. 1.
