Field Hockey

This Week in ACC Field Hockey

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – As the second week of the 2024 NCAA Field Hockey season begins, the Atlantic Coast Conference looks to continue its dominance in the sport. Seven of the league’s nine teams remain ranked in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, including five teams in the top 10.
 
North Carolina swept the first ACC Field Hockey Player of the Week awards, with Charly Bruder and Grace Pottebaum winning the offensive and defensive awards, respectively. The second-ranked Tar Heels posted a 2-0 record last week with a pair of ranked wins over No. 6 Iowa and No. 12 Michigan.
 
The ACC logged four ranked wins in the opening weekend. In addition to North Carolina’s pair of top-20 wins, No. 3 Virginia and No. 10 Syracuse each knocked off No. 16 Penn State to start the season off.
 
ACC teams will play seven ranked opponents throughout the second week of the season with one airing on ACC Network. This weekend, No. 5 Duke and No. 17 Boston College will both meet No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Maryland in Evanston, Illinois. In Louisville, Kentucky, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 7 Louisville will each meet No. 15 Princeton, in addition to Penn, during the weekend. On Sunday, September 8, No. 10 Syracuse will host No. 14 Ohio State in a contest that will air on ACC Network, beginning at noon ET. The third-ranked Virginia Cavaliers will travel to No. 11 Liberty on Sunday as well.
 
ACC Field Hockey Weekly Schedule (all times are Eastern)
Thursday, September 5
Kent State at Stanford | 3 p.m. | ACCNX
Northeastern at Cal | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
 
Friday, September 6
#5 Duke at #1 Northwestern | Noon | B1G+
#2 North Carolina vs. Penn (at Louisville, Ky.) | 1 p.m. | ACCNX
#17 Boston College at #4 Maryland (at Evanston, Ill.) | 3 p.m. | ACCNX
#15 Princeton at #7 Louisville | 4 p.m. | ACCNX
Temple at #3 Virginia | 5 p.m. | ACCNX
Kent State at Cal | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
 
Sunday, September 8
#2 North Carolina vs. #15 Princeton (at Louisville, Ky.) | 11 a.m. | ACCNX
#5 Duke vs. #4 Maryland (at Evanston, Ill.) | Noon | B1G+
Harvard at #18 Wake Forest | Noon | ACCNX
#14 Ohio State at #10 Syracuse | Noon | ACC Network
#3 Virginia at #11 Liberty | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Northeastern at Stanford | 1:30 p.m. | ACCNX
Penn at #7 Louisville | 1:30 p.m. | ACCNX
#17 Boston College at #1 Northwestern | 3 p.m. | B1G+
 
Noting ACC Field Hockey
  • Boston College head coach Kelly Doton won her 100th career game on Friday, August 30, in BC's 3-1 season opening victory over Northeastern.
  • Duke's Pam Bustin became the winningest coach in program history following the Blue Devils' 5-0 victory against UMass Lowell in the season opener.
  • Syracuse leads the ACC in goals scored to begin the season with 11, averaging 5.5 per game. The Orange scored nine goals in the season opener versus Lock Haven, totaling 26 points. The Orange lead the country in scoring margin at 5.00.
  • Seven ACC teams remain undefeated after the opening week of the field hockey season, including five teams who are 2-0. The ACC boasts a 13-3 non-conference record to start the season.
  • The ACC and the Big Ten each had seven ranked teams in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Coaches Poll. In the opening week of the season, the ACC went 5-3 against the Big Ten.
  • Virginia was selected as the preseason favorites to win the ACC, totaling 76 points in the preseason poll. The Cavaliers and North Carolina each earned four first-place votes, while Duke added one. North Carolina, the defending national champions, finished second with 75 points, while Duke (63), Louisville (46) and Syracuse (46) rounded out the top five.
  • Former Virginia standout Pien Dicke won a gold medal with the Dutch field hockey team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
  • Six student-athletes from ACC member institutions represented the United States at the Olympics. North Carolina led the way with three (Ashley Hoffman, Cassie Sumfest and Meredith Sholder), while Cal (Megan Valzonis), Duke (Leah Crouse) and Stanford (Kelsey Bing) each had one representative. The ACC accounted for more than one-third of the Team USA roster.