HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team finds itself ranked fourth in the first release of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Soccer Region rankings which were announced on Wednesday afternoon. The Fords (11-1-2, 5-0-2 CC) have gone unbeaten in their last 13 matches and are currently tied for first place in the Centennial Conference standings. These rankings ultimately lead up to the selection of at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament.
Regional rankings will also be released on Wednesday, October 30 and Wednesday, November 6 before the final release on Monday, November 11 after the completion of all the conference tournaments around the country. That final ranking will be made public after the teams selected to the NCAA Tournament have been announced.
With this being the first rankings release of the year, one aspect not included in the initial release but added going forward will be the results vs. regionally-ranked opponents. The Centennial Conference holds six of the top nine spots in the Mid-Atlantic Region during the first release. Haverford is 2-1-1 to date against teams in the initial regional rankings this year as the Fords defeated both McDaniel (No. 7 ranking) and Gettysburg (No. 9 ranking) while earning a draw with Johns Hopkins (No. 2 ranking). Haverford's only loss this year, which came in the first match of the season, was against Arcadia (no. 3 Mid-Atlantic Region). The Fords additionally have two more regionally-ranked matchups looming as they will play Dickinson (No. 5 ranking) and Swarthmore (No. 8 ranking) on the final two Saturdays of the regular season.
Six different automatic qualifying conferences make up the Mid-Atlantic Region. In addition to the Centennial Conference, the Colonial States Athletic Conference, Landmark Conference, Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth, Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom, and the North Eastern Athletic Conference are part of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Messiah is the top-ranked team in the region, followed by Johns Hopkins, Arcadia, Haverford, and Dickinson. Stevens (No. 6 ranking) and Misericordia (No. 10 ranking) joined CC schools McDaniel, Swarthmore, and Gettysburg in the initial release.
Irrespective of the rankings, Haverford holds its postseason fate in its own hands as the Centennial Conference Champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The top five teams in the Centennial Conference standings qualify for the conference tournament and the Fords are currently tied for first place with Dickinson heading into Saturday's showdown in Carlisle. That match is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
After traveling to Dickinson this Saturday, the Fords will conclude their regular season slate with Tri-Co neighbors Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore next week.