Stunners and climbers: overtime disrupters rewrite the latest NFHCA Division I field hockey poll

Dust is still unsettled, and the latest NFHCA poll shows competition remains fierce. Photo: Maryland Athletics

There’s a new look at the top of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll in week four of the NCAA Division I field hockey season and heading into Tuesday night’s two-game slate.

The NFHCA publishes Division I polls every Tuesday during the Fall field hockey season.

One of the biggest stunners this week is that North Carolina isn’t ranked in the top 20.

With the legal battle looming over whether three of the Tar Heels biggest stars can compete in a fifth year, the young team is struggling.

With only five goals conceded and no losses to date, Northwestern retains its No. 1 spot. The ‘Cats recorded a 2-0 win over No. 17 California on Saturday and a 7-0 victory over UC Davis on Sunday.

Ashley Sessa, Ilsa Tromp, and Olivia-Bent Cole are at the top of the leaderboard with the most points. Overall, Sessa has four goals and seven assists, Tromp has six goals and one assist, and Bent-Cole has four goals and five assists.

Goalkeeper Juliana Boon has only allowed five goals so far this season.

Maryland climbed to No. 2 after beating Penn State on Friday and then edging then-No. 4 Wake Forest 1-0 late in the match off a penalty corner.

It’s the highest-ranked win since 2023 for the Terps, which improved to 8-0 for the first time since 2018 and the 12th time in program history. 

Maci Bradford scored the game-winner by pushing the ball to the top, taking two or three steps along the baseline, then redirecting it into the back of the net through the gap near Wake’s near-side post and behind their keeper.

UConn also made a move, beating Princeton 2-1 on Sunday after knocking off Villanova 3-1 on Friday. 

The biggest upset came Friday, when Indiana handed then-No. 2 Iowa its first loss, 3-1. Iowa answered back on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Hoosiers, but the split was enough to shake up the poll: Maryland moved up to No. 2, Wake Forest to No. 3, Massachusetts to No. 4, and Duke and Iowa tied at No. 5.

Indiana entered the rankings this week at No. 18. 

Massachusetts remained perfect with wins over Ohio and UAlbany.

Harvard survived a 3-2 game against Northeastern, and Monmouth kept building momentum with victories over Towson and Penn State.

Duke, Louisville, Michigan, Virginia, Yale and Old Dominion also picked up ranked-team wins.

According to the NFHCA, “the poll is intended to provide a weekly snapshot of the nation’s top-performing programs based on results, strength of competition, and insight from the sport’s coaching community. Beginning after the second week of regular-season competition, teams must maintain a .500 record or better to be eligible for ranking consideration.  

“These rankings reflect the collective assessment of the designated voting coaches each week and are designed to spotlight performance on a national scale. The Coaches Polls are independent of the NCAA Championship selection process and are not intended to predict or determine postseason qualification or seeding.”  

Here are the DI college field hockey teams with the most votes in the NFHCA week four coaches poll: 

20. Old Dominion, 5-2 (15)  

19. Monmouth, 6-1 (19) 

18. Indiana, 5-3 (Unranked)  

17. California, Berkeley, 5-1 (18)  

16. Miami (OH), 4-3 (Unranked)  

15. Yale, 5-0 (17) 

14. Liberty, 5-3 (13) 

13. Michigan, 5-2 (13)  

12. Louisville, 6-2 (16)  

11. Syracuse, 5-1 (12)  

10. Harvard, 5-1 (7)  

9. Virginia, 5-2 (9) 

8. Princeton, 4-2 (3) 

7. Connecticut, 6-1 (10) 

5. Iowa, 7-1 (2)  

5. Duke, 5-2 (8)  

4. Massachusetts, 8-0 (6) 

3. Wake Forest, 5-2 (4) 

2. Maryland, 8-0 (5)  

1. Northwestern, 9-0 (1)  

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