No. 11 Orange Open 2018 Season Friday

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Fresh off its 10^th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the Syracuse University field hockey team opens the 2018 season at home on Friday against Vermont. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at J.S. Coyne Stadium and can be watched live on ACC Network Extra with Tyler Aki and Maura Siobhan Sheridan on the call.

The Orange debuted at No. 11 in the Penn Monton/NFHCA Preseason Coaches' Poll on Tuesday, marking the 11^th-consecutive year 'Cuse earned a preseason ranking. Prior to the 2018 preseason poll, the last time 'Cuse was ranked outside the top-10 in the inaugural poll was 2008 when Syracuse began the season at No. 18 and climbed to No. 3 with a 22-2 record and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Final Four.

The Orange return 12 players from 2017's 12-7 squad, including two-time NFHCA All-American Roos Weers and starting goalkeeper Borg van der Velde.

"We have an exciting group," Weers said. "We're young. It doesn't matter what opponent you play as long as you play as good as you can as a team."

The Orange added 10 freshmen and one transfer to the roster this offseason and welcome back Claire Cooke, who redshirted as a freshman in 2017.

One day closer to our home opener ➡️ Aug. 24 at 1 pm vs. Vermont! pic.twitter.com/PNSfzNouIg
— Orange Field Hockey (@CuseFH) August 16, 2018

Syracuse is 28-12 all-time in season openers and 11-0 under Coach Ange Bradley (since '07). 'Cuse is 28-11-1 in home openers and unbeaten with Bradley at the helm.

Vermont and Syracuse meet for the 12^th time in program history on Friday with 'Cuse holding a 8-3 record against the Catamounts. Bradley has faced UVM once during her tenure at Syracuse, guiding the Orange to a 12-0 win on Oct. 16, 2011. It was the most goals Vermont has allowed in a single game in the Catamounts history.

This will be the third time Bradley has faced Catamount head coach Kate Pfeifer. The two met on the sidelines twice while Pfeifer was an assistant at Northeastern form 2008-2014. Both of those meetings resulted in a win for the Orange.