The Corner Scoop: Week 7 Field Hockey Top 10 rankings

Saint Mark’s field hockey’s Claire Krause takes a shot during a game. Photo by Mike Lang

It’s hard to believe we are in Week 7 of the field hockey season. The next two weeks will be interesting as teams finish up the regular season and look to make the tournament. The Division 1 tournament seeds eight teams, and Division 2 seeds 12, so these last few games can make the difference between making the tournament and waiting for next year. 

There is a little shake up in the top ten this week as top 10 teams have played head to head recently and some teams have put together nice runs of three or four wins, affecting this week’s rankings. Games this week are from Oct. 14-20.

Division 1 Field Hockey

No. 1  Cape Henlopen (12-0): The Vikings continue to be perfect. They will play the only game this week against the D2 champs at Delmar on Tuesday. This is always a great matchup for field hockey fans. Emily Wells has 14 goals, followed by Macy Steinwedel with 12. 

No. 2  Charter School of Wilmington (10-2): The Force is on a three-game win streak and has moved into the No. 2 spot this week. They have a tough week ahead with Saint Mark’s on Tuesday and Newark Charter on Thursday night. Alexa Guarneri has scored 30 goals for the Force. 

No. 3 Smyrna (8-2): The Eagles will host Tatnall on Tuesday at home and go to Indian River on Thursday. Bree Moffett leads the Eagles with 20 goals this season. Smyrna’s strength of schedule strength keeps them ahead of Middletown. 

No. 4  Middletown (9-1): The Cavaliers continue to win in dominating fashion and are on a four-game win streak. They will head down to Caesar Rodney on Tuesday and host Conrad on Thursday night. Flannery Grimm and Layla Dukes lead with 15 goals each. 

No. 5 Odessa (7-2): The Ducks lost a tough game to their sister school but rebounded to take down William Penn. They will spend this week on the road with two night games at Dover Monday and at Appoquinimink Wednesday. Caroline Perry and Sophia Ridgeway lead with nine goals each.

No. 6  Sussex Tech (7-2-1): The Ravens are on a five-game win streak and have been a pleasant surprise in D1 hockey this season. Their schedule gets tough from here on out, though. They will host Lake Forest on Tuesday for Cancer Awareness Day. 

No. 7 Milford (5-4): The Bucs dropped a few spots as they struggled and lost three in a row to top-ten teams. Fortunately, they stay above .500 with six games to play. Indian River comes to Milford Tuesday night and the Bucs head to Seaford on Thursday. Hannah Zimmerman leads with 16 goals. 

No. 8 Caesar Rodney (5-6): The Riders picked up two wins to keep themselves in the top 10. They will host No. 4 Middletown Tuesday evening and go to Laurel Thursday. Senior Addison Plews leads the way with eight goals but Caesar Rodney has had 13 different players score this season. 

No. 9 Appoquinimink (5-6): The Jags host sister school Odessa on  Wednesday and travel to St. Georges Friday. Madison Washburn leads with five goals, and the Jags have 15 players who have scored this season. 

No. 10 St. Georges (4-7):  St Georges claims the 10 spot this week. They will go to Delcasle on Wednesday and host Appo on Friday. Natalie Hackett leads the team with eight goals. 

Division 2 Field Hockey

No 1. Newark Charter (13-0): The Patriots remain in the No.1 spot as head coach Stacey Spiker and her Patriots are undefeated. They only have two games left in the regular season, one this week and one next. Smart scheduling for some rest before the tournament. This week, they face No. 2 in D1 Wilmington Charter Thursday for a night game. Amanda Rattay (25 goals) and Audrey Nelson (18 goals) lead the way offensively. 

No 2.  Delmar (11-1):  The Wildcats haven’t lost since Sept. 24. They will have one challenge this week as they host Cape Henlopen on Tuesday 1 Oct. 17. Always interesting when Cape leaves their home turf and plays on Delmar’s Bermuda grass. But Cape’s depth could be a problem for the Wildcats – get out and watch this one if you can!  

No 3. St. Mark’s (9-2): The Spartans jump to No. 3 this week and haven’t been scored on in the last four games. They will be tested on Tuesday at Wilmington Charter; then on Thursday, they will host Woodbridge. Katherine Hanich leads with 23 goals. 

No 4 Sussex Academy (8-3): The Seahawks ran into the buzzsaw called Newark Charter last week. They must bounce back, as they are home for the rest of the regular season. This week, they host Stephen Decatur (MD) on Tuesday and Dover on Thursday for Senior Night. Shelby Manlove (10) and Rilyn Lehman (9) account for 19 goals combined. 

No 5 Wilmington Friends (8-1-1): The Quakers haven’t lost since the Delmar game on Sept. 10, but one month later, they tied Tatnall 0-0. Two games this week: They host Ursuline on Wednesday and go to William Penn on Saturday. Molly Dolan leads with 14 goals. 

No. 6 Caravel (8-4): The Bucs picked up two wins to improve to 8-4, but their game with Notre Dame Prep (MD) was postponed. With only one game this week, they will host Brandywine on Thursday. Katie Cole leads with 10 goals and eight assists. 

No. 7   Indian River (8-3): The Indians continue their winning ways with Dubs in the last three contests. They will face Henlopen North rivals Tuesday at Milford and host Smyrna on Thursday. Baylie Williamson continues to command the offense with 26 goals and 13 assists. 

No. 8 Archmere (7-4): The Auks, like everyone else, dropped a game to Newark Charter, but they were steady up to that point. This week, they will host MOT Charter for Senior Day on Tuesday and then host DMA on Saturday. Maura Read leads with 17 goals. 

No. 9 Lake Forest (6-3): The Spartans had a tough week with Smyrna and Sussex Academy, so they will look for redemption this week at Sussex Tech on Tuesday and at home on Thursday vs. Polytech. Lacey Hutson and Brynn String lead with nine goals each.  

No. 10  Tower Hill (6-4): The Hillers split last week but are doing well enough to stay in the top 10. They will have a homestand this week, hosting Padua Tuesday and Tatnall Saturday.

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