Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Field Hockey in the ACC

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( ONE OF THE PERKS OF JOINING A CONFERENCE LIKE THE ACC IS NEAT UPDATES
THEY PROVIDE JOURNALISTIC HACKS LIKE ME. THANKS TO ACC MEDIA RELATIONS FOR BASICALLY WRITING THE THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE FOR ME...LOL)

- Field Hockey is upon us

Upcoming Schedule

Friday, August 29

         #5 Syracuse at Ohio State, 3:00 p.m.

         #13 Boston College at Quinnipiac, 3:00 p.m.

         #4 Duke at #16 Michigan State, 3:00 p.m.

         Saint Louis at #15 Louisville, 4:00 p.m.

         #6 Virginia at William & Mary, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 30

         #17 Michigan at #2 North Carolina, 11:30 a.m.

         #13 Boston College vs. Lafayette (Hamden, Conn.), 2:00 p.m.

         #11 Wake Forest vs. #20 Iowa (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 2:00 p.m.

         #5 Syracuse vs. Miami (OH) (Columbus, Ohio), 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 31

         #20 Iowa at #2 North Carolina, 11:30 a.m.

         #6 Virginia at #8 Penn State, 12:00 p.m.

         New Hampshire at #15 Louisville, 1:00 p.m.

         #4 Duke vs. Central Michigan (East Lansing, Mich.), 1:00 p.m.

         #11 Wake Forest vs. #17 Michigan (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 2:00 p.m.

Monday, September 1

         #5 Syracuse at Ohio, 1:00 p.m.

NFHCA Poll

- All seven ACC field hockey teams are ranked to start the season, including four teams in the top six spots.

- It marks the 13th straight poll that every active ACC team has been ranked, dating back to October of 2012.

Preseason Favorites

- North Carolina was voted by the ACC coaches as the preseason favorite, narrowly edging out Duke and Syracuse by one and two points, respectively.

- The Tar Heels, Blue Devils, and Orange were three of the four seeds in last year’s NCAA Championship.

Louisville’s Debut

- Louisville’s game against Saint Louis on Friday afternoon will mark the first for the program as a member of the ACC.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge

- The ACC/Big Ten Challenge will be held this weekend, with North Carolina and Wake Forest facing both Michigan and Iowa in Chapel Hill.

2013 Recap

- Last year was another marquee year for the league. All seven ACC teams - a league record - earned a bid to the NCAA Championship, with all four host sites being awarded to league campuses.

-  ACC teams combined to go 83-13 against nonconference opponents, including 29-12 against ranked teams.

- The ACC held at least half of the NFHCA Top 10 every week of the 2013 season,

- Three squads  advanced to the national semifinals, marking the 14th straight year that at least two ACC teams have reached the semifinals.

- 2013 marked the 15th straight year with at least one ACC team in the national championship game.

( YES SIR, IT DOES LOOK LIKE FIELD HOCKEY IS BREATHING THE RAREFIED AIR...ladies and gents..)

paulie