Field Hockey Ranked No. 2 in First Poll of the Year
9/14/2004 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 14, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In the first National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 Poll of the season, which was announced today, the Terrapin field hockey team is ranked No. 2 in the nation, the highest ranking of any ACC team this week. The Terps are 6-0 as they host Towson University Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The ACC continues to be the strongest conference in the country as four ACC squads are ranked in the top five while all five are in the top 10. The only non-ACC team ranked in the top five is No. 1 Michigan State. North Carolina, the other undefeated team in the ACC, is No. 3, followed by Duke and Wake Forest. Virginia is rated 10th.
Six other Maryland opponents are also featured in the top 20. No. 7 Old Dominion's only loss so far this season is a 6-0 thumping by the Terps. Maryland also defeated No. 12 Boston College, 3-2 in overtime, to open the 2004 campaign and topped No. 19 Northwestern this past weekend in the Terrapin Invitational, 2-0. The Terrapins face No. 14 Delaware on the second stop of a two-game road trip this coming weekend on Sept. 19. No. 9 Michigan hosts Maryland on Oct. 17, two days after the Lady Monarchs square off with the Terps for the second time this season. No. 13 American also visits College Park on Oct. 3.
After the Terps host Towson tonight, they travel to Princeton, who is receiving votes in this week's poll, on Friday, Sept. 17 then head down to face the Blue Hens on Sunday before returning home.
NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll
Sept. 14, 2004
No. Team (Record) Points 1. Michigan State (7-0) 551 (15) 2. MARYLAND (6-0) 532 (6) 3. North Carolina* (6-0) 508 (4) 4. Duke* (5-1) 503 5. Wake Forest* (6-1) 490 (4) 6. Connecticut (6-0) 428 7. Old Dominion (3-1) 358 8. Northeastern (6-0) 347 9. Michigan (3-3) 322 10. Virginia* (5-1) 268 11. Richmond (4-0) 241 12. Boston College (4-2) 207 13. American (4-2) 198 14. Delaware (3-2) 192 15. California (7-2) 172 16. Harvard (3-0) 111 17. Indiana (5-1) 100 18. Hofstra (5-2) 76 19. Northwestern (4-3) 66 19. Penn State (1-4) 66* indicates ACC team -- TERPS --
