By R.L. Bynum
Two-time reigning field hockey national champion North Carolina is No. 2 in the preseason NFHCA Coaches Poll released Tuesday.
The top-ranked team in the poll is Northwestern, which UNC has defeated 2–1 in the last two NCAA championship games — two years ago in Erin Matson’s last season as a player and last season in her first season as head coach.
UNC, which finished 18–3 last season, opens the season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 6 p.m. Friday at No. 12 Michigan, then meets No. 6 Iowa at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Tar Heels, who have won five of the last six NCAA titles and 11 total, garnered 17 of the 48 first-place votes, with Northwestern collecting 27, No. 3 Virginia two and No. 4 Maryland two.
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Other ACC teams in the poll are No. 5 Duke, No. 7 Louisville, No. 10 Syracuse, No. 17 Boston College and No. 18 Wake Forest. In their final preseason exhibition game, UNC beat Duke 3–2 on Saturday.
Virginia is the preseason pick to win the ACC, earning the same number of first-place votes in the league voting with four as UNC, which was picked second.
Making the preseason All-ACC team from Carolina are Katie Dixon, Ryleigh Heck and Sietske Brüning.
Preseason Top 25
| Rank | School | Poll points (1st-place votes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern | 918 (27) |
| 2 | North Carolina | 899 (17) |
| 3 | Virginia | 783 (2) |
| 4 | Maryland | 771 (2) |
| 5 | Duke | 714 (0) |
| 6 | Iowa | 596 (0) |
| 7 | Louisville | 567 (0) |
| 8 | Harvard | 562 (0) |
| 9 | Rutgers | 524 (0) |
| 10 | Syracuse | 512 (0) |
| 11 | Liberty | 397 (0) |
| 12 | Michigan | 370 (0) |
| 13 | Saint Joseph’s | 369 (0) |
| 14 | Ohio State | 323 (0) |
| 15 | Princeton | 313 (0) |
| 16 | Penn State | 306 (0) |
| 17 | Boston College | 304 (0) |
| 18 | Old Dominion | 173 (0) |
| 18 | Wake Forest | 173 (0) |
| 20 | Albany | 107 (0) |
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranking) | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Winston-Salem | |||
| 28 | Friday | L, 2–1, OT | No. 19 Michigan | 0–1 |
| 30 | Sunday | L, 3–2, OT | No. 6 Iowa | 0–2 |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Friday | W, 7–0 | Penn | 1–2 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0, OT (3–2 shootout) | No. 10 Princeton | 2–2 |
| 11 | Friday | L, 5–4, OT | Old Dominion | 2–3 |
| 13 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | at Richmond | 3–3 |
| 20 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | vs. No. 15 Virginia | 3–4, 0–1 ACC |
| 25 | Friday | W, 8–1 | at Stanford | 4–4, 1–1 |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 4–0 | at No. 14 California | 5–4, 2–1 |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | W, 3–0 | at No. 16 Louisville | 6–4, 3–1 |
| 9 | Friday | 3 p.m. | at Saint Joseph’s | ESPN+ |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 17 Liberty | ESPN+ |
| 16 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCNE |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Syracuse | ACCN |
| 23 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Wake Forest | ACCNE |
| 25 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Appalachian State | |
| 30 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at No. 3 Duke | ACCN |
| November | ACC tournament | |||
| 3–6 | Tue.–Fri | At Karen Shelton Stadium | ACCN | |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 13 | Friday | TBA | First round Campus sites | |
| 15 | Sunday | TBA | Second round Campus sites | |
| 20 | Friday | TBA | National semifinals Louisville | |
| 23 | Sunday | TBA | Championship Louisville |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
