This week in ACC field hockey

ACC Weekly Edition
Season statistics

Charlotte, North Carolina (theACC.com) – The penultimate weekend of the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey regular season has arrived, with three key league games set for Friday as teams compete for a spot in the upcoming ACC Field Hockey Championship. The tournament will be held from October 31 to November. 3, with the University of Virginia serving as the host site.

The featured contest of the weekend is No. 2 North Carolina at No. 7 Virginia at 4 p.m. on Friday. Also on Friday, No. 12 Boston College will play at No. 10 Wake Forest, and No. 13 Syracuse travels to No. 8 Louisville.

Six ACC teams are ranked in the NFHCA poll, highlighted by UNC, which rose to No. 2 this week. The Tar Heels are followed by Duke (3), Virginia (7), Louisville (8), Boston College (12) and Syracuse (13).

In fourth place for the NCAA RPI for the 2023 season, the ACC holds three of the top four and six of the top 13 with UNC (1), Duke (2), Virginia (4), Louisville (7), Boston College (11) and Syracuse (13).

Next schedule
Friday, October 20
No. 2 North Carolina at No. 7 Virginia | 4 pm | ACCNX
No. 12 Boston College at Wake Forest | 5 pm | ACCNX
No. 13 Syracuse at No. 8 Louisville | 6 pm | ACCNX

Sunday 22 October
Appalachian State at No. 8 Louisville | noon | ACCNX
UConn at No. 3 Duke | 1 PM | ACCNX

Tuesday 24 October
Virginia at James Madison | 5 pm | ESPN+

Friday 27 October
Louisville at Boston College | 2 pm | ACCNX
Wake Forest at Syracuse | 4 pm | ACCNX
Duke in North Carolina | 6 pm | ACCN

Sunday 29 October
Wake Forest at Colgate | noon | ESPN+

The ranking is the current NFHCA poll

Taking note of ACC field hockey
• This marks the sixth of seven weeks of league play.
• Duke has a bye to ACC play this week. The No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament will come down to the Blue Devils’ matchup with UNC next Friday.
• ACC teams have gone 54-13 (80.6%) in non-conference games, highlighted by 13 wins over ranked opponents.
• Louisville (4th, 0.78), Duke (8th, 1.01), Virginia (12th, 1.16), UNC (15th, 1.20), Boston College (17th, 1.22) and Wake Forest (25th, 1.42) are among the national leaders in scoring defense .
• Averaging 3.43 goals per game, Syracuse ranks fourth nationally in goals per game. UNC is seventh (3.08) and BC is eighth (3.0).
• Duke’s Alaina McVeigh leads the ACC and is ninth nationally in goals scored (14), while Syracuse’s Eefke van den Nieuwenhof is 10th (13).
• North Carolina, a six-time ACC champion, was named the favorite to win the 2023 ACC Championship after a vote by the league’s seven coaches. The reigning national champion Tar Heels were picked as ACC favorites by four coaches, while Virginia was picked by three coaches.
• All seven teams had at least one player named to the 11-member Preseason All-ACC team, and all were also named to the 2022 All-ACC team, including five first-team honorees: Margo Carlin (B.C. ), Hannah Miller (Duke), Julie Koeser (Louisville), Riley Heck (UNC), Daniela Mendez-Trendler (UVa). Heck was the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year.
• The ACC has a pair of new coaches this season. After an impressive playing career, Erin Mattson takes over from Karen Shelton, the NCAA’s historic wins leader, at UNC. Lynn Farquhar takes over the reins at Syracuse from Angie Bradley, who retired in December after 16 seasons leading the Orange.
• The ACC’s all-time NCAA Division I field hockey championship record now stands at 22, including 15 of the last 21.
• UNC captured its 10th NCAA championship with a 2-1 win over Northwestern on Nov. 20. The Tar Heels’ 10 field hockey championships are the most in NCAA history.
• The ACC has placed at least one team in the NCAA title game in 22 of the last 24 NCAA field hockey championships — and 30 times in the last 33 years.
• In the ACC’s first 42 years as an NCAA Division I field hockey conference, the league’s teams accounted for more than half of all entries to the national title game (43 of 84).
• With Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest joining UNC in the NCAA field for 2022, the ACC has placed multiple teams in postseason play for the 28th straight season.
• Four active ACC players are members of the 2023-24 U.S. National Team – Mia Abello (UVa), Charlotte de Vries (Syracuse), Katie Dixon (UNC) and Riley Heck (UNC).
• ACC alumni Fusine Govaert (BC), Jillian Wolgemuth (Duke), Ashley Hoffman (UNC), Meredith Sholder (UNC), and Cassie Sumfest (UNC) are also members of the 2023-2024 U.S. National Team.
• ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national platform dedicated to covering league sports, is scheduled to broadcast 15 field hockey games this season, including every ACC tournament contest.