Field Hockey Announces 2011 Schedule
4/27/2011 2:36:41 PM | Field Hockey
View 2011 Schedule
SYRACUSE, N.Y. –The Syracuse University's women's field hockey team has solidified its schedule for the 2010 season. The schedule includes eight 2010 NCAA Tournament teams, as well as 12 teams that were either ranked or received votes in the final Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I Poll of the 2010 season.
"We are really excited about the schedule this fall," said two-time BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year Ange Bradley. "The nonconference games give our team an opportunity to challenge themselves against some of the top competition in the country and will prepare us for an always competitive BIG EAST season."
Syracuse opens the regular season against Monmouth on Saturday, Aug. 27. The following weekend, the Orange travels to North Carolina where it will face the 2010 NCAA Championship Runner-up, UNC on Friday and Wake Forest on Sunday. Similarly, Syracuse follows up the next weekend with an away series at Ohio State, playing OSU and Old Dominion. Last season, the Orange managed to capture a 2-1 overtime win against OSU during regular season play, but later lost in overtime, 3-2, to the Buckeyes in the second-round NCAA Championship.
The Orange is scheduled to return home to open BIG EAST play versus Rutgers on Sept. 16. SU defeated the Scarlet Knights, 5-1, in 2010. SU rounds out the weekend with a home game against Princeton on Sept. 18. The Tigers defeated the Orange, 1-0, during the 2010 season. The following weekend the team travels to play BIG EAST foe, Louisville on Sept. 23.
The Orange begins a seven-game home stretch on Sept. 25 with Boston University. SU then hosts BIG EAST rival Providence and UMass on the weekend of Sept. 30. UMass handed the Orange its final loss of the 2010 regular season, but was later defeated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse also hosts Albany and Columbia on Oct. 5 and Oct. 9. SU hosts Georgetown and Vermont for the tail end of the home game stretch on Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The Orange handily defeated the Hoyas, 11-0, in 2010. SU has not faced Vermont since a 3-2 loss in 2006.
Syracuse finishes out the season with a three-game road series before returning home for its final game of the regular season. Stops include Boston College, Connecticut and Villanova. SU will face Connecticut on Oct. 28, a team that the Orange defeated twice during the 2010 season.
SU closes out the season with its final BIG EAST match at Villanova before facing Bucknell for its last home game of the season on Oct. 30. BIG EAST Tournament play begins on Nov. 5 on J.S. Coyne Stadium. NCAA Tournament action is scheduled to begin on Nov. 12.
The Orange returns 15 members of the 2010 BIG EAST Championship squad. SU also welcomes newcomers to the squad.
