Temple opens with No. 16 ranking in poll

Temple will enter the weekend with No. 16 preceding its name.

With a 3-1 start to the season, the Owls earned the No. 16 spot in the first week of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.

A 3-1 start at this time last year, that included a 3-0 upset over then-No. 6 Penn State on Sept. 6, put the Owls in the No. 11 spot. They retained a place in the Top 20 rankings up until the end of last season.

This year’s preseason poll left Temple unranked entering the season.

The Owls began their season with back-to-back wins against Northeastern and the University of Massachusetts at the Conference Cup Tournament in Lancaster, then split a weekend road trip with a 6-1 against Rutgers last Friday, then a 3-0 loss to No. 4 Duke.

Temple’s home opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. with a matchup against Delaware.