EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State field hockey team has had impressive efforts against three ranked teams, defeating two, starting off 3-1 on the season, and as a result entered the 2012 Penn Motto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Coaches Poll.  The Spartans, who were unranked preseason, were ranked at No. 20 in the poll as of Tuesday, Sept. 4. The Spartans return to the poll for the first time since the 2011 pre-season NFHCA survey. 

These are the first weekly rankings of the season after the preseason poll was announced on Aug. 21. MSU received 116 points in the voting for the poll.  Michigan State was last ranked in the NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll at No. 13 in the preseason poll of 2011.

The Spartans most recently recorded a 1-0 shutout against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, Sept. 2.  Earlier in the weekend, MSU beat No. 11 Stanford in a 2-1 victory at Ralph Young Field on Friday, Aug. 31. 

Previously ranked No. 1 Maryland (3-1) fell to No. 3.  Princeton (2-0) remained at No. 4  even though they tallied 10 first place votes, the most in the poll.

Five teams in the top 25 are currently undefeated: No. 2 Syracuse University (3-0), No. 4 Princeton University (2-0), No. 7 University of Connecticut (3-0), No. 12 Boston University (4-0), No. 14 Northeastern University (3-0), and No. 18 Drexel University (3-0).

This coming weekend the Spartans continue their non-conference schedule with games against two more ranked schools at Ralph Young Field.  The Spartans will take on the No. 6 Cavaliers at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7 and the No. 14 Northeastern at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9.

2012 Penn Monto/NFHCA DI National Poll (Sept. 4)

1. UNC (3-1)
2. Syracuse (3-0)
3. Maryland (3-1)
4. Princeton (2-0)
5. Old Dominion (2-2)
6. Virginia (4-1)
7. Connecticut (3-0)
8. Penn State (3-1)
9. Duke (2-2)
10. Iowa (2-1)
11. Northwestern (4-1)
12. Boston Univ. (4-0)
13. Wake Forest (1-2)
14. Northeastern (3-0)
15. Michigan (2-2)
16. Stanford (2-3)
17. Boston College (3-1)
18. Drexel (3-0)
19. UMass (3-1)
20. Michigan State (3-1)
21. Albany (2-1)
22. California (1-2)
23. Ohio State (2-2)
24. New Hampshire (1-2)
25. Maine (1-4)