UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; August 21, 2018 – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (0-0, 0-0 B1G) will open up the season ranked No. 6 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Preseason Rankings. Penn State is coming off a 17-5 season a year ago that saw it advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Head coach Char Morett-Curtiss returns a team that features a veteran roster that includes 12 seniors, one first team All-American and a total of four All-Mideast Region selections. Morett-Curtiss' squad returns 11 starters, its top five scorers and starting goalkeeper from 2017.
The Nittany Lions are one of six Big Ten teams peppered throughout the rankings, which includes Maryland at No. 4, Michigan at No. 5, No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 Northwestern, Iowa at No. 20 and No. 24 Ohio State. Connecticut begins the season ranked No. 1.
Penn State will play a total of ten ranked teams during the regular season, beginning with the season opener this Sunday against No. 7 Virginia. The game begins at 12 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. The Lions will also face No. 10 Princeton, No. 3 Duke, No. 24 Ohio State, No. 19 Boston University, No. 5 Michigan, No. 17 James Madison, No. 4 Maryland, No. 20 Iowa and No. 12 Northwestern.
Following this weekend's season opener, Penn State will visit Temple on Friday, Aug. 31, for a 6 p.m. contest. The Nittany Lions host two home games the following week, welcoming Princeton on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and Kent State on Friday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. A three-game week will conclude back at Temple where Penn State will face Duke at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, in a neutral site battle.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.
Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Preseason National Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (Record) Points (First place votes)
1 University of Connecticut 979 (19)
2 University of North Carolina 966 (18)
3 Duke University 908 (1)
4 University of Maryland 894 (4)
5 University of Michigan 837
6 Penn State University 778
7 University of Virginia 713
8 University of Louisville 708
9 University of Delaware 704
10 Princeton University 636
11 Syracuse University 613
12 Northwestern University 603
13 Boston College 531
14 Wake Forest University 432
15 Harvard University 395
Stanford University 395
17 James Madison University 316
18 Saint Joseph's University 311
19 Boston University 257
20 University of Iowa 216
21 University at Albany 211
22 College of William & Mary 200
23 Liberty University 143
24 Ohio State University 137
25 University of Maine 116
