Now that we have reached the approximate half way point in the regular season rankings become that much more interesting to fans, but it is important to separate the methodologies to come to any conclusion as to their accuracy and importance. First to the team, they should mean nothing in the short run. The task at hand is always to concentrate on the upcoming game and win, and the rankings will take care of themselves. They can have an impact on recruiting, but again for the current team, it’s a non issue.
However, for we fans and the team, by the end of the regular season, it may have impact on selection and seeding in the NCAA tournament. All conference tournament champions get an invite. It’s the next level where the impact can occur. Invites may be handed out to those who did not win their conference tournament but depending on the RPI ( ratings percentage index) calculated by the NCAA ,it will trigger an additional invite, as well as determine seeding within the field.
The RPI is calculated using the following formula .25*w/l pct. + .50*strength of schedule+,25*opponents strength of schedule. Again the NCAA will calculate the RPI as the season progresses. In addition ” Field Hockey Corner,” calculates RPI exactly the same way as the NCAA and publishes it after every game.
The NFHCA has a poll of select coaches who vote on the top 20 teams. Many of the coaches will not have seen RPI ( ratings percentage index) calculated by the NCAA these poll selectors might not have seen all the teams who might merit a top 20 ranking. Also, a team with a losing record is NOT eligible for consideration (eg. UNC was dropped this week). We should note that the NFHCA poll has no bearing on tournament seedings or placement in the end of year tournament.
The conclusion, for Lafayette is the NFHCA poll has no bearing on tournament seedings or placement,it is the final RPI that could be important at the end. An 11 ranking would most likely put them in the tournament if maintained. But….there is a lot of field’s hockey left to play against teams with SOS’s which might not help in the final calculation. For the moment, an 11 rating is pretty impressive.
The task at hand is getting ready for Holy Cross
I took a look at the comparative stats, and the first impression was their SOS is not as high as Lafayette, but this is a new ambitious head coach in her second League match, coming off a 4-0 blowout against Lehigh in Bethlehem. Secondly, the weather could be an issue as a noreaster arrives in New England. It will not be pleasant. They are 5-2, with wins against Stonehill, Northeastern, Merrimack, Bryant and Lehigh, The losses are against two good teams, Fairfield and Stanford ( ranked 17) with a loss of 0-3. In that game HC was outshot 13-9 but Holy Cross out cornered Stanford 8-6. The Holy Cross keeper made 6 saves. The first quarter was scoreless. Stanford scored in each of the succeeding quarters. The last game played by Holy Cross was on Saturday and .Lafayette played a very competitive game on Sunday against VCU. Lafayette has taken 118 shots against Holy Cross’s 137. Lafayette has 46 .corners Holy Cross has 59 with one less game. Our GK has an .806 save percentage and Holy Cross’s has a .738 percentage..
This is an important game for both teams, and on the surface it looks like our defense against their offense. Lafayette will try to bottle up the Crusaders and the Crusaders will look to fast break and score. I actually think our offensive weapons may get unleashed with the weather being a wildcard. Game starts at 3pm.
