After a successful weekend that saw Temple beat both Penn State and Richmond, the Owls are now ranked 11th in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.

It’s the team’s first national ranking since Sept. 2001, when they were ranked No. 17.

“It’s amazing for our program,” coach Amanda Janney said following Sunday’s overtime win against Richmond. “I think we’ve always had the team that can play with top 20 teams, but we haven’t gotten enough wins to be in the top 20 rankings consistently, but it’s always been a goal of mine and for the program.”

“I’m so glad that these athletes are working so hard,” Janney added. “It’s kind of a reward for our team and also the alumni who have worked so hard to get us in this position.”

The 2013 season is only four games old, but Temple has managed to get off to quite the start. It opened up the year with a 4-1 win over Ohio State, then went on to beat another Big 10 team in the No. 6 ranked Penn State and a former Atlantic-10 rival in Richmond. The Owls’ only loss so far was against Maryland in the second game of the year, when they lost 5-1 to the second-ranked team in the country.

Temple’s offense has averaged 2.75 goals per game so far, while the defense has kept opponents’ goals per game average to 2.00.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper and co-captain Lizzy Millen has also been one of the team’s biggest strengths, with a 1.99 goals against average and a .814 save percentage.

Senior midfielder/defender and co-captain Molly Doyle has also been named Big East Player of the Week, after scoring three goals and two assists during the games against Penn State and Richmond over the weekend.