Aug. 24, 2010

Complete Preseason Poll

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland field hockey team was picked No. 2 in the Kookaburra/National Field Hockey Coaches Association's preseason poll, released Tuesday. The Terps, the 2009 NCAA runners-up, received 22 of 56 first place votes.

North Carolina, 2009's NCAA national champion, was picked as the preseason favorite with 25 first-place votes, while Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia came in at No. 3. Princeton, who the Terrapins beat in the national semifinal match, was picked No. 4, and Connecticut rounded out the top five.

Maryland will play ten of the 20 preseason-ranked teams in the 2010 season.

ACC schools Wake Forest, Boston College and Duke cracked the top ten, as the Demon Deacons are ranked No. 6 and the Eagles come in at No. 9. Duke ranks at No. 10.

The Terrapins open their season Friday at Drexel, who is ranked No. 11 in the early poll. The Terps and the Dragons will take the field at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia. Maryland and Drexel last met in a second round game of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, which the Terps won 5-0 in College Park.

The Terps' game Sunday vs. Villanova has been moved to 11 a.m. at Temple University. The Terps and the Wildcats were originally scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. at the Spring City Training Center.

The 11 a.m. game will be played at Geasey Field before Temple's previously scheduled Invitational tournament, which begins at 1 p.m. Admission will be $3 for all fans.

Live stats will not be available, but both games will be broadcast live at WMUCSports.com.