What a week of college field hockey.
The Ohio State (No. 11) upset No. 1-ranked Iowa 2-1 on the road, giving the Hawkeyes their first loss on the season.
According to Ohio State athletics, “Ohio State pulled off the upset on Friday thanks to a defensive effort that limited a high-powered Iowa offense to just one shot on goal.”
The Buckeyes are on a three-game winning streak and knocked off Iowa from its No. 1 spot. Ohio State jumped to No. 7 this week on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll sponsored by Penn Monto.
North Carolina traveled to Pennsylvania over the weekend to take on previously ranked No. 13 Saint Joseph’s. While the Hawks defense created a hard to find exit, Carolina’s skills unlocked the maze to take the 4-1 win.
“The NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll is voted on by NFHCA member coaches and has no bearing on selection to the 2023 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship,” according to the NFHCA. “After two weeks of regular season competition, eligible teams must maintain a record of .500 or above to be eligible for ranking each week. The Ivy League Conference is an exception to this criteria the week of Sept 4 based on their different schedule. Beginning the week of Sept 11, all programs ranked in the top 20 must have a record of 0.500 or above.”
Here are the Division I teams coaches ranked in the top 20 in week five:
20. Cornell, 6-3, no change
19. UMass, 7-5, previous rank No. 17
18. Albany, 7-3, previous rank No. 19
17. UMass-Lowell, 9-2, previous rank No. 18
16. Penn State, 5-5, no change
15. Michigan, 6-5, no change
14. Saint Joseph’s, 9-3, previous rank No. 13
13. Harvard, 7-3, previous rank No. 14
12. Syracuse, 8-3, previous rank No. 10
11. Boston College, 7-4, previous rank No. 12
10. Liberty, 10-1, previous rank No. 9
9. Maryland, 8-3, previous rank No. 8
8. Virginia, 7-4, previous rank No. 7
7. The Ohio State, 11-2, previously rank No. 11
6. Rutgers, 10-0, no change
5. Louisville, 9-1, no change
4. Duke, 10-1, no change
3. Iowa, 10-1, previous rank No. 1
2. Northwestern, 11-1, previous rank No. 3
1. North Carolina, 8-1, previous rank No. 2
Photo: Bob Benscoter, UNC at St. Joe’s
