HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team is ranked sixth in the second release of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region rankings which were announced on Wednesday afternoon. The Fords (12-2-2, 6-1-2 CC) clinched their spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament earlier this week with a victory at Bryn Mawr and can secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament with a win Saturday. These rankings ultimately lead up to the selection of at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament.
Regional rankings will next be released on 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.
Factored into the regional rankings process for the first time is a team's record vs. ranked opponents. Haverford is 2-2-1 to date against teams in the initial regional rankings this year as the Fords defeated both Gettysburg (No. 7 ranking) and McDaniel (No. 8 ranking) while earning a draw with Johns Hopkins (No. 2 ranking). Haverford has also played Arcadia (No. 3 Mid-Atlantic) and Dickinson (No. 4 Mid-Atlantic). The Fords will close the regular season this Saturday against a Swarthmore side that is currently ranked ninth in the region.
The Centennial Conference continues to hold six of the top nine spots in the Mid-Atlantic Region. 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.
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. Dickinson is already locked in as the conference tournament host while McDaniel has secured the No. 5 seed. Haverford, Johns Hopkins, and Gettysburg will sort out the Nos. 2-4 seeds with the conclusion of the regular season this Saturday.
Haverford's rivalry matchup against Swarthmore on Saturday will also be Senior Day for the team's six members of the graduating class. The matchup, which also has Hood Trophy implications, will get underway at 12 p.m. noon on Walton Field.