As most know, the ACC has been the dominate conference for a long time in the sport of field hockey. In the 2013 NCAA tournament they had three of the four teams in the final four. To make matters even more impressive, all seven ACC schools with field hockey programs made the NCAA tournament field. No other conference had that many qualify.
This year the ACC looks to repeat that accomplishment. All seven schools are in the top 13 of the most recent coaches poll and the teams were almost even in conference play, with the regular season champion Virginia going 4-2 in conference play.
The teams finished conference play in the following order:
1) Virginia
2) North Carolina
3) Boston College
4) Wake Forest
5) Louisville
6) Syracuse
7) Duke
Now let's take a look at the bracket
With a seven team field, the top team, Virginia, gets a bye into the semifinals. Lucky for us fans, all games are going to be broadcast on ESPN3. Let's take a look at Thursday's quarterfinals matchups.
Game 1: #5 Louisville vs. #4 Wake Forest
Louisville has definitely made waves in their first ACC field hockey season as they went 3-3 in the conference with wins over North Carolina, Duke, and oh yeah, Wake Forest. In a matchup at the end of September, Louisville defeated Wake Forest in Winston-Salem 2-1 in Overtime. The game was a thriller and the sequel looks to be as well. While Wake Forest lost the home match to the Cardinals, the Demon Deacons have been on a roll recently with losses only against North Carolina and wins over Syracuse, Virginia, and Boston College.
Players to watch for: Wake Forest- Look for senior midfielder Anna Kozniuk to be a difference maker in the match. Last season she was a second team All-American and this year she leads the team with 13 goals. Kozniuk is dangerous, so look for her to score for Wake Forest.
Louisville- The Cardinals tend to spread out their attack, but junior midfielder Elisa Garcia is almost always involved. She takes a lot of shots (20 on goal) and scores regularly (six goals). More impressively, she has 13 assists this season and has had several games with multiple points.
Prediction- Louisville won round one earlier this season and has an explosive offense, so I'm going with Louisville to take this one. The Cardinals have scored 61 goals this season and average only 1.71 goals against, so look for them to win their first ever ACC tournament game.
Game 2: #7 Duke vs. #2 North Carolina
Ah the Tobacco Road Rivalry. This game has major implications with both teams being in the top six in the country and meeting in the first round of the ACC tournament. This is probably going to be the biggest game of day one and for good reasons. Duke is hosting the tournament this year, but the Tar Heels already beat the Blue Devils on their home field last month. This game looks to be a classic, with both teams looking impressive heading into the matchup.
Players to watch for: North Carolina- Senior forward Loren Shealy. Throughout her career, Shealy has been a superstar both on and off the field. This season she is leading the team in points with 28 and she has 10 goals in her senior season. Oh, and she is one smart cookie too with plenty of academic awards along with being a Robertson Scholar. Look for her to be a playmaker in this matchup.
Duke- Throughout the season Duke has relied on a top notch defense to get the job done, so look for redshirt junior goalie Lauren Blazing to be the key player for Duke. This season she has been on fire, averaging 1.06 goals against and has made 68 saves. This season she has six shutouts. Also, Blazing has winning experience as she was the starting goalie last season in Duke's run to the national championship game.
Prediction- Offense vs. Defense. While defense has led Duke this far, the Tar Heels have an even better defense, leading the conference in goals against average. The last meeting was a 1-0 game, and I think North Carolina will win this one in similar fashion.
Game 3: Syracuse vs Boston College
Rivals are not limited to Tobacco Road on day one of the ACC tournament. Northeast rivals Syracuse and Boston College meet in the last game of the day and it should be a great game. Syracuse is averaging 4.44 goals per game, yet Boston College has played in an absurd eight overtime games this season. Will the Eagles and Orange take this one to overtime? Their last meeting was in September when Syracuse was #4 in the nation. Boston College defeated them in overtime 3-2 in a truly dramatic fashion. Both teams are riding win streaks and will be ready to go on Thursday.
Players to watch for: Syracuse- The Orange have had a powerful offense all season and this has been led by freshmen midfielder Lieke Visser. The Dutch phenom has had 17 assists this season and is second in the ACC in points. Visser is not afraid to shoot the ball, so look for her to make a difference on Thursday.
Boston College- Because they have been fantastic all season long, I have to pick two for Boston College. Sophomore twins Emily and Eryn McCoy are both my pick for player to watch for. Both of them are goal scorers, with Emily leading the team with 10 goals and Eryn scoring 9 goals. They have been leaders on this team that has seen ups and downs and they will be difference makers in the tournament.
Prediction- Syracuse is currently #2 in the ACC in scoring margin and is averaging an impressive 4.44 goals per game. Despite that, I have to pick Boston College in this game. The Eagles are a team who goes down swinging and has pulled off some great overtime victories this season, going 4-4 in overtime games. I think the Eagles will prevail in this matchup, but of course it will be dramatic and go into overtime.
Now let's talk about Virginia.
The Cavaliers escape the first day of the tournament because they were the regular season conference champion. The season has seen them play amazing hockey as they scored 61 goals. During the middle of the season they won nine straight games with wins over Louisville, Duke, Syracuse, and North Carolina. At the same time though, they have lost four of their last five games and their one win was over Liberty in overtime.
Player to watch for- It all revolves around freshman midfielder Tara Vittese for the Cavaliers. Vittese is a sensational player with 51 points this season. She is one of the top players in the country this season and already has quiet a bit of international experience. Look for Vittese to be the difference maker in the Cavaliers semifinal matchup.
Semifinals predictions:
First, lets look at the matchups that I predicted:
#1 Virginia vs. #5 Louisville
#2 North Carolina vs. #3 Boston College.
Form matters, and Louisville has looked impressive recently. Because of that, I am predicting that Louisville will win this game. As for the other semifinal, the Tar Heels will have almost a home crowd and have been impressive all season look. I think North Carolina will win.
Finals Prediction:
North Carolina over Louisville. The Cards have been impressive in their first ever ACC season, but North Carolina will be too much to handle and will win the tournament in Durham.
What do you think? Who will win the tournament and what players will stand out? Let us know.
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