Field Hockey to Meet California in First Round of NCAA Tournament
11/6/2001 9:18:03 PM | Field Hockey
The Syracuse University field hockey team will meet the University of California in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the University of Maryland. It will mark the second meeting between the two schools. In 1997, the Orangewomen traveled to Berkeley for a pair of games against Stanford and the host Golden Bears. Syracuse defeated Stanford 1-0 and beat Cal, 2-0.
Game times will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 7. The other game being played on Nov. 10 at Maryland will be between the ACC-champion Terrapins and the Patriot League champ, Fairfield. The winner of the Syracuse vs. California game will play the winner of the Maryland vs. Fairfield contest on Sunday, Nov. 11, at College Park.
The Orangewomen earned their thid NCAA Tournament berth by winning the 2001 BIG EAST Championship. SU owns a 15-3 overall record and went 7-0 against BIG EAST teams this year. Currently ranked No. 18 in the nation, the Orangewomen will be making their first NCAA appearance since 1995. In 1993, SU advanced to the national quarterfinals following a 3-0 first-round victory against Pennsylvania. Penn State knocked Syracuse out of the tournament that year, 4-0, in the quarterfinals. In 1995, the Orangewomen lost a 3-0 decision to Princeton in the first round.
California (14-4) earned its second NCAA Tournament bid thanks to a 5-1 triumph against Quinnipiac in an NCAA Play-in game held at Berkeley on Sunday, Nov. 4. The Golden Bears, ranked No. 20 in this week's coaches poll, last appeared in the national tournament in 1994. Cal went 5-1 in the NorPac Conference this year and won the league tournament, Nov. 1-3, in Boone, N.C. by defeating Davidson (5-4 2OT), Pacific (3-0) and Stanford (2-0).
Syracuse faced four of the teams in this year's tournament during the regular season. The Orangewomen posted victories against Massachusetts (2-1) and Fairfield (5-0). They lost to Princeton (5-1) and Northeastern (1-0 OT).
SU and California shared three common opponents this season. Both teams faced Fairfield, Miami (OH) and Quinnipiac. Both teams posted wins against all three teams.
The winners of Sunday's games will advance to the national semifinals to be hosted by Kent State University on Friday, Nov. 16.
2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001
at Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
Old Dominion (17-4) vs. Massachusetts (11-9)
Princeton (15-2) vs. Northeastern (16-6)
at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
North Carolina (14-6) vs. Michigan (14-5)
Michigan State (15-5) vs. Kent State (13-7)
at Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, N.C.
Wake Forest (13-4) vs. Ohio University (16-4)
Virginia (13-7) vs. Ohio State (15-4)
at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Maryland (17-3) vs. Fairfield (11-10)
Syracuse (15-3) vs. California (14-4)
