Syracuse field hockey falls short after standout season
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (BVM) – Syracuse women’s field hockey enjoyed another successful trip to the NCAA tournament as the team continued its dominant run under Ange Bradley.
After a 12-4 regular season, the Orange hosted the ACC tournament this year on their home turf, taking a 5-1 win against No. 7-seeded Duke. However, their run to become conference champions was killed in the semifinals after a matchup against the No. 3-seeded Tar Heels, losing 4-1.
Following the ACC knockout, the Orange traveled to State College, Pennsylvania in a first round NCAA tournament matchup against the Nittany Lions. This tournament followed a similar pattern as the ACC tournament for the ladies, as their first game against Penn State resulted in a 4-1 win before eventually losing in an Elite Eight matchup against Maryland.
Led by Carolin Hoffmann and Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, the Syracuse duo were key in the team’s advancement into the 2021 season’s ACC championship. Both Hoffmann and Van den Nieuwenhof were named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Tournament Field Hockey Team.
Hoffmann is a graduate student from Germany and powerhouse on the field. Before coming to Syracuse, she led her club team back in Germany to the German National Championship, where she was named the best forward player.
Her success in the game continued at Syracuse, earning many accolades in her four years with the program. In this season, the senior forward started in both of the team’s ACC tournament games and served the Orange well in the midfield. Hoffmann would help tremendously in their win against Duke in the quarterfinals and was a huge help on defense against UNC, despite Syracuse’s loss.
Van den Nieuwenhof is a sophomore from the Netherlands and shined early on as a selectee for the regional and national Dutch teams. The Orange sophomore won the regional indoor championship and took third in the national championship. During her freshman year at Syracuse she was first team All-ACC and made the All-ACC tournament team. Now into her sophomore year with the program, she is excelling on the field. She locked in three goals and an assist in the two tournament games, leading the team in points, goals, and shots.
Syracuse finished 14-6 this season and 4-2 in the ACC, reaching the Elite Eight for the 10th time in program history. With Hoffmann’s career coming to a close the Orange won’t have to look far with two more years of Van den Nieuwenhof.
