For the second consecutive season, the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Preseason Poll has Syracuse ranked as the fifth-best team in the country.

Syracuse concluded its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year ranked second in the poll after posting a 16-4 record. SU received 729 points and was one of six schools to receive a first-place vote (1).

Another Top 10 placement in the poll for Syracuse has extended the program’s streak to 65 consecutive weeks of being ranked within the Top 10 teams.

Maryland topped the rankings, garnering 881 points and 22 out of 47 first-place votes. Joining Syracuse are fellow ACC foes North Carolina (No. 2), Duke (No. 4), Virginia (No. 6), Wake Forest (No. 11), Boston College (No. 13) and Louisville (No. 15) rounding out the top-20 ranked teams.

No. 7 Princeton and No. 10 Massachusetts are also Top 10 teams on Syracuse’s schedule. Eighth-ranked Penn State and No. 9 Old Dominion also cracked the Top 10.

The Orange opens its 2014 season on Friday at Ohio State and faces off against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.