HAVERFORD, Pa. - For the first time since the 2012 season, the Haverford College Field Hockey team (10-2, 3-2 CC) has moved into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Poll. The 10-2 Fords check in at No. 19 in the latest weekly release of the rankings.
Haverford has sprinted out to its best 12-game start in program history, and has now beaten two ranked squads in the same season since that 2012 campaign. Haverford proved its defensive mettle in a major way last week, blanking the then-No. 18 ranked Franklin & Marshall Diplomats by a 1-0 final, Haverford's first victory over F&M since 2010.
The Fords join fellow Centennial sides No. 2 Johns Hopkins and No. 11 Ursinus in the weekly rankings, while Franklin & Marshall is listed as also receiving votes after falling to the Fords last Wednesday at Swan Field. The Fords then followed that emphatic victory with a 2-1 shootout triumph over Dickinson, with Hannah Roth stopping all five Diplomat attempts in the penalty stroke round.
Haverford has the nation's 12th-ranked defense, allowing just 0.81 goals per game, as Roth has been a standout in goal with the eighth best goals against average among goalkeepers.
Ravenel Davis has been an offensive force, topping the CC in points (31), goals (14) and shots (61). Davis has already recorded the eighth-most points and goals in program single-season history.
The Fords will now have a midweek test on the docket Wednesday at Muhlenberg (Oct. 13) before a weekend off from competition. Haverford hosts Washington College on October 20 on Swan Field (7 p.m.).