Ahead of Friday’s season opener against Vermont, Syracuse has been ranked as the No. 18 team in the nation. The 2019 Preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll revealed that all seven Atlantic Coast teams are in the top-20, with defending champion North Carolina taking the top spot. 

Last year, SU failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007. The team won just one of its six conference games and finished with an 8-8 record.

SU’s first game in Burlington, VT will test its ability to replace their top defender and leading scorer, Roos Weers, who graduated last year. Looking ahead, nine of Syracuse’s 2019 opponents are ranked in the preseason poll, with three — UNC, Duke and UConn — in the top five.