Syracuse to Host 2004 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship
11/3/2004 3:43:21 PM | Field Hockey
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The BIG EAST Conference Field Hockey Championship will be hosted by Syracuse University on Friday and Sunday, November 5 and 7. The semifinals are set for 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Friday, with the championship game scheduled for noon on Sunday. All three games will be played at SU's J.S. Coyne Field.
Connecticut won the BIG EAST field hockey regular season title after finishing undefeated in the conference with a 5-0 record, giving the Huskies the No. 1 seed. This year's title marks the third consecutive season UConn has won at least a share of the regular season crown and it is the school's eighth title in the last nine years. Syracuse and Boston College both finished league play with a 3-2 mark. The Orange will enter the league championship as the No. 2 seed by virtue of SU's 2-1, double-overtime win against BC on September 26. The Eagles are seeded third. Villanova earned the fourth seed with a 2-3 BIG EAST record.
Top-seeded Connecticut will face No. 4 Villanova in the first semifinal. The Huskies won the regular-season meeting between the two schools, 1-0. The Wildcats will be participating in the championship for the fourth-straight season.
No. 2 Syracuse will square off with No. 3 Boston College in the second semifinal. SU returns to the championship after missing the tournament for the first time since the league began sponsoring field hockey in 1989. BC will be making its fourth consecutive appearance in the event and is the defending champion after defeating UConn, 4-3, in overtime last season.
The winner of the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship receives the league's bid to the 16-team NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. First- and second-round games of the single-elimination tournament are held at the campuses of participating institutions. This year's championship will be held in Winston-Salem, N.C. at Kentner Stadium. Wake Forest University will host the national semifinals on November 19 with the final contest to take place on November 21. Last season, the BIG EAST landed two teams (Connecticut and Boston College) in the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1998. The Huskies hosted the first two rounds.
2004 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship - J.S. Coyne Field - Syracuse, N.Y.
Semifinals: Friday, November 5
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Villanova - 5:00 p.m.
No. 2 Syracuse vs. No. 3 Boston College - 7:00 p.m.
Final: Sunday, November 7
Semifinal winners - noon
