NORFOLK, Va. – Head coach Andrew Griffiths and the Old Dominion University field hockey team announced its schedule on Thursday afternoon for the upcoming 2015 season, which includes eight opponents from the 2014 NCAA Tournament, two of the 2014 semifinal participants and five conference champions from a year ago.
“It’s an exciting schedule again for the 2015 season,” said Griffiths. “We have strong conference competition in the BIG EAST and added to our challenging non-conference games. We again play one of the toughest schedules in the nation, as we have 10 of last season’s top-20 teams on our schedule this year. This is exactly what we want and it will help prepare us to play the best teams in the post-season.”
Old Dominion is coming off an 11-8 campaign in Griffiths second season at the helm in Norfolk. The team advanced to the conference championship for the 27th time in program history and returns 13 players from last year’s roster. The Lady Monarchs also welcome back three all-conference honorees, including All-American midfielder Sarah Breen.
The Lady Monarchs will prepare for their five BIG EAST conference games in addition to a non-conference slate featuring marquee road trips to Wake Forest, Duke, Delaware and North Carolina, as well as hosting games against traditional in-state opponents.
Old Dominion will start the season at home with two tough opponents, as the Lady Monarchs host Penn State, who advanced to the NCAA tournament last season, and American on Aug. 28 and 30, respectively. ODU will open the month of September at Michigan State on Sept. 4 and will take on MAC Champion and NCAA participant Kent State on Sept. 5 in East Lansing.
The Lady Monarchs will continue one of their longest standing rivalries when they host William & Mary in the 58th all-time meeting between the two programs on Sept. 11.
The weekend of Sept. 18 will be a marquee road trip for Old Dominion, taking on NCAA powerhouses Wake Forest and Duke. The Lady Monarchs will face the Demon Deacons, the 2014 ACC Champions, first on Sept. 18 and then the Blue Devils on Sept. 20. Over the past 10 seasons, the two teams combined for 15 NCAA appearances.
ODU closes out September with a home game against the defending NorPAC Champions Liberty on Sept. 25 and a trip to Harrisonburg on Sept. 27 to take on an old CAA rival James Madison.
October marks the start of conference play for the Lady Monarchs, beginning with Temple on Oct. 2. The two teams split last season, with ODU claiming the regular season game, 3-2, and Temple defeating the Lady Monarchs in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament, 2-1. ODU will then host its second weekend home stand with Georgetown on Friday, Oct. 9 and ACC rival Virginia on Sunday, Oct. 11.
The following week will test the Lady Monarchs, as they take on 27-time NCAA participant Maryland and defending national champions Connecticut. ODU will look to avenge a loss to the Terrapins on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex and then travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on the Huskies on Oct. 17 for the third BIG EAST matchup of the season.
On Oct. 23, the Lady Monarchs will head to Villanova for a conference matchup before heading to Delaware on Oct. 25. The regular season concludes with the BIG EAST finale in Norfolk against Villanova on Oct. 30 for senior day as well a non-conference matchup with 2014 NCAA Tournament semifinalist North Carolina on Nov. 1 in Chapel Hill.
The BIG EAST Tournament will take place at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex a week after the regular season comes to a close. The tournament will feature the top-four teams from the conference, with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6 and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 8.
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