Boston College Athletics
Field Hockey Releases its 2015 Schedule
June 19, 2015 | Field Hockey
View 2015 Schedule
Printable 2015 Schedule
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - First-year head coach Kelly Doton's Boston College field hockey team will face 11 teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament in 2015, according to the team's schedule which was released today.
Highlights of the 18-game slate include seven conference games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents - six of which were NCAA participants last year - and several regional rivals, including two-time defending national champion Connecticut. Additionally, as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Eagles will meet Maryland and Northwestern in early September at Spooky Nook in Lancaster, Pa., home of USA Field Hockey.
"No schedule has ever been easy for us," Doton said. "We play in the most competitive conference in the country and schedule some of our hardest games with our regional and out-of-conference opponents year-in and year-out. Our athletes know that every single game they play will be a fight and they want it no other way."
After a pair of home scrimmages against Boston University (Aug. 21) and UMass Lowell (Aug. 23) to prepare for the season, Boston College will host a pair of games to formally open the 2015 season: Providence on Friday, August 28 and Quinnipiac on August 30. All home games are played the Newton Campus Field Hockey Field in Newton, Mass.
Providence finished fourth in the BIG EAST in 2014, going 11-9 overall, which included a 3-1 loss to BC in Providence in early September. Quinnipiac went 8-11 overall last year, ending their season in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament. In the teams' 2014 meeting, BC earned a 3-0 road win in Camden, Conn.
In the second weekend of the season, the Eagles will head to south central Pennsylvania to face their opponents in this year's Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Maryland (19-4) and Northwestern (16-7) finished 1-2 in the Big Ten conference standings last year. While the Terrapins won the regular-season title, the Wildcats won the conference tournament. Maryland advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals before a 2-1 loss to Albany, while Northwestern fell to Duke, 2-1, in the first round.
"Adding Northwestern and Maryland to our schedule for the foreseeable future will provide a great competitive challenge as we face the defending Big Ten champion and a former conference member, respectively.
"The games are at the Nook, the Home of Field Hockey, and it's an exceptional facility that has a great playing atmosphere, both for for our team and for the sport of field hockey itself," Doton added.
The Eagles continue the schedule with three straight NCAA participants, including road games at Boston University on Sept. 11 and national champ UConn on Sept. 13. The Eagles defeated both teams in the regular season last year, claiming a 2-1 overtime win over the Terriers and a 3-2 win over the Huskies in penalty strokes. BU (13-8) won the Patriot League last year, ultimately falling to national runner-up Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last November, while Connecticut (20-3) defeated the Orange in the national championship game.
The Orange will be the Eagles' first ACC opponent in 2015, and the teams will meet on Newton Campus on Sept. 19. In 2014, the teams split their two meetings with BC winning in overtime at Syracuse in the regular season, and the Orange picking up the win in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
After a home game against Northeastern on Sunday, Sept. 20, the Eagles will play seven of their next eight away from home. Starting at North Carolina on Sept. 25, and including matches at Liberty (Sept. 27), at Wake Forest (Oct. 4), vs. Duke (Oct. 9) and Louisville (Oct. 16) and against Richmond (Oct. 25), the Eagle will face six teams that played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament to close out the regular-season.
The Eagles will also play non-conference matches at New Hampshire (Oct. 11) and Massachusetts (Oct. 18), plus a road game at Virginia (Oct. 24). While the Cavaliers won the 2014 ACC regular-season title - and went 12-8 overall - they were the only ACC team to not draw a bid to the 19-team NCAA Tournament.
BC wraps up the regular-season against Harvard at Newton Campus on Sunday, Nov. 1, before traveling to Charlottesville, Va., for the 2015 ACC Championship.
