Tufts field hockey tops latest DIII NFHCA poll

DIII field hockey teams are fighting for first.

Tufts has taken over the No. 1 spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III poll after Middlebury ended Christopher Newport’s unbeaten start with a 1–0 overtime upset.

CNU, which had held the top ranking for the first three regular-season polls, slipped to No. 2.

The NFHCA publish weekly polls on Tuesday throughout the college field hockey season. The latest coaches picks reflect four weeks of play ending this past weekend.

The Captains stayed alive behind goalkeeper Ella Fallen’s career-high 12 saves, but Middlebury’s Addie Chandler converted a penalty stroke with 57 seconds left in the first overtime to break a scoreless tie.

Tufts climbed two spots after extending its unbeaten run, highlighted by a 2–1 double-overtime win at Wesleyan. The matchup was as even as the score suggested: both teams finished with 11 shots, while Wesleyan held a 4–2 edge in penalty corners. Eleanor Helm delivered both Tufts goals, including the winner with 1:11 remaining in the second overtime.

Stevenson made the week’s biggest leap, rising five places to No. 6 after a statement 4–1 victory over then-No. 2 Salisbury. The Mustangs handed the Sea Gulls their first loss, improved to 8–0 by the time of the Sept. 29 poll, and earned the program’s first-ever win over Salisbury.

Salisbury rebounded with a 1–0 overtime win at St. Mary’s (Md.), but the result underscored how vulnerable the Sea Gulls had looked across the week. St. Mary’s goalkeeper Sophia Kent made five saves, and the Seahawks’ defense kept Salisbury off the board through regulation before Devon DeGregory converted a penalty stroke 3:13 into overtime. Salisbury fell two spots to No. 4.

Lynchburg dropped out of the poll after a 2–1 home loss to Rowan. Sydney Kowalczyk opened the scoring for the Profs, Lynchburg’s Khanyisile Mzizi equalized before halftime, and Mia Foti struck the fourth-quarter winner. Rowan’s six-game winning streak carried the Profs into the rankings at No. 23.

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 DIII college field hockey teams with the most votes in the NFHCA week four coaches poll: 

25. Mary Washington, 5-2 (22)

24. Swarthmore, 5-3 (24)

23. Rowan, 6-3 (unranked)

22. Bates, 3-3 (21)

21. The College of New Jersey, 4-3 (20)

20. Ithaca, 7-2 (23)

19. Washington and Lee, 4-3 (17)

18. Shenandoah, 6-1 (19)

17. Stevens Institute of Technology, 5-3 (14)

16. Endicott, 7-2 (15)

15. SUNY Cortland, 7-0 (18)

14. Amherst, 5-2 (15)

13. Wesleyan, 4-2 (12)

12. Ursinus, 7-1 (13)

11. Hamilton, 6-1 (10)

10. Bowdoin, 4-2 (9)

9. Franklin & Marshall, 6-1 (8)

8. Johns Hopkins, 5-3 (5)

7. Babson, 6-2 (7)

6. Stevenson, 8-0 (11)

5. Williams, 6-2 (4)

4. Salisbury, 6-1 (2)

3. Middlebury, 6-1 (6)

2. Christopher Newport, 7-1 (1)

1. Tufts, 7-0 (3)

*Simmie Samra is a student-intern at Penn State University.

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