Field Hockey Projected to Finish Tenth in LEC Preseason Poll
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University field hockey team has been picked to finish tied for tenth in the Little East Conference (LEC) field hockey preseason poll in voting conducted by the conference's twelve coaches. The Rams received 47 total points and tied for the tenth spot with Worcester State University.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was picked to take the 2011 Little East Championship with 140 total points and nine of the 12 first place votes. Keene State College was in the second spot with 129 points and a first place vote, while Plymouth State University was third with 125 points and the remaining two first place votes. Closely grouped in the fourth, fifth and sixth were the University of Southern Maine with 87 points, Fitchburg State with 86 and Bridgewater State with 84 points. Rounding out the poll was Western Connecticut State in the seventh spot with 63 points, Salem State and Westfield State tied for eighth with 54 points apiece, Framingham and Worcester tied for tenth and Eastern Connecticut in the last spot with 20 points.
The LEC sponsors an 11-game conference schedule with each team playing each other once. The top eight teams in the final regular season standings advance to the 2011 LEC Field Hockey Championship. The tournament will feature three rounds with the highest seed in each contest earning home field advantage. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday, November 5th with the tournament champion receiving the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Rams, who finished the 2010 season with a 5-12 overall record and 3-8 mark in the Little East, open the 2011 season on Saturday, September 3rd as they travel to Regis College at 10:30 a.m.