Field Hockey: Syracuse Ranked 11th in First NCAA Rankings

I know. This past week sucked.

Our beloved Syracuse Orange football team -- the same one we were so hopeful would be 3-0 heading into this weekend's primetime, nationally-televised showdown with Notre Dame at MetLife -- crushed our hopes and dreams on Saturday, when Maryland visited the Carrier Dome and left with a 34-20 win. Making it far more frustrating was that -- here's a shocker -- the Terrapins didn't beat the Orange; the Orange beat themselves. Syracuse outgained Maryland by 220 yards, but repeatedly and at the most inopportune times, Scott Shafer's team shot itself in the foot.

The disappointing loss came just days after we learned that Jim Boeheim and Syracuse won't know until November the status of DaJuan Coleman, the basketball team's 6'10" center who missed most of last season. So, yeah, the chance of a successful 2014-15 basketball season for the Orange may very well rely on the health of a player whom we have no reason to believe will be healthy.

WOOOOOOOO!!!!!

But cheer up, Orange Nation. Here's some (sort of) good news: Syracuse was ranked 11th in the first NCAA Division I Field Hockey Rankings, which the NCAA released on Tuesday. Each of the ACC's seven teams -- 'Cuse, North Carolina, Virginia, Boston College, Duke, Wake Forest, and Louisville -- were ranked in the top-16.

Through eight games in 2014, the Orange are 6-2. After a 6-0 start, they have lost back-to-back games to North Carolina (ranked first overall) and Boston College (sixth overall). Their only win this season against a top-25 team came earlier this month, when they beat Albany (third overall) 2-1 at J.S. Coyne Stadium.

In what will serve as their next opportunity at beating a top-10 opponent, the Orange travel to Charlottesville, Va. on Friday for a date with the Virginia Cavaliers.