ODU Field Hockey Releases 2016 Schedule

NORFOLK, Va. – Head coach Andrew Griffiths and the Old Dominion University field hockey team announced its schedule for the upcoming 2016 season on Monday afternoon. The vigorous slate of games includes six opponents from the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including three of the semifinal participants, and four conference champions from a year ago.

Old Dominion is coming off a 9-10 campaign in Griffiths’ third season at the helm in Norfolk. The team advanced to the conference championship for the 28th time in program history and returns 13 players from last year’s roster. The Lady Monarchs also welcome back two all-conference honorees, including BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Chrissy Horn.

The Lady Monarchs will prepare for their seven BIG EAST conference games in addition to a non-conference slate featuring marquee road trips to Penn State, Virginia and Maryland, as well as hosting games against traditional in-state opponents.

Old Dominion will start the season with two tough opponents on the road, as the Lady Monarchs travel to Penn State and American on Aug. 26 and 28, respectively. ODU will then open the month of September with its first game at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex with a matchup against NCAA Tournament participant Delaware on Sept. 2.

The Lady Monarchs will continue two of their longest standing rivalries on Sept. 9 and 11 when they travel to Richmond for the 32nd all-time meeting at Crenshaw Field and William & Mary for the 59th meeting at Busch Field.

The weekend of Sept. 16-18 will be a marquee home stand for Old Dominion, taking on NCAA powerhouse and BIG EAST opponent Connecticut, along with longstanding rival James Madison. The Lady Monarchs will face the Huskies, a 2015 NCAA semifinalist, first on Sept. 16 and the Dukes on Sept. 18.

ODU closes out September with a game on the road against Georgetown on Sept. 23 and welcomes new BIG EAST foe Liberty to Norfolk on Sept. 30.

October marks the start of an action packed month, as the Lady Monarchs will take on four NCAA participants, including two semifinal teams, and four conference opponents. October starts with a road trip to Virginia on Oct. 2 and Maryland on Oct. 4. Both teams advanced to the national tournament and were ranked 4th and 5th in the final NFHCA poll, respectively.

ODU continues its road stand with conference games against Temple on Oct. 7 and Quinnipiac on Oct. 14. The Lady Monarchs hold a commanding 20-3-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Owls, but will face the Bobcats for just the third time and the first as BIG EAST rivals.

Old Dominion will close the 2016 season with four-straight home games, featuring two NCAA semifinalists and two BIG EAST opponents. The Duke Blue Devils, coming off a NCAA Tournament semifinal run, will make an appearance in Norfolk on Oct. 16 and are followed by the Villanova Wildcats on Oct. 22. The regular season comes to an end at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex against Providence on Oct. 28 and the NCAA Tournament runner-up North Carolina on Oct. 29.

The BIG EAST Tournament will take place at Geasey Field on the campus of Temple University a week after the regular season comes to a close, with the semifinals on Nov. 4 and the championship match on Nov. 6.

The 2016 NCAA Tournament begins on Nov. 12 on the campuses of selected schools, while Old Dominion will play host to the semifinals and championship match for the fifth time in school history. The last time the Lady Monarchs hosted the tournament was in 2013 when BIG EAST rival UConn took home the crown.

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