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| AU Field Hockey head coach Steve Jennings |
From our friends at AU Athletics...
American University Field Hockey head coach Steve Jennings released the Eagles' full schedule for the 2017 season on Thursday. The Eagles, who closed the 2016 season ranked 19th in the country by the NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, will face four other teams that earned spots in the final rankings last season, including two that made appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
"We are really looking forward to the 2017 season," Jennings said. "As always there are some big challenges to help prepare us for an increasingly tough Patriot League field and hopefully a run into the postseason.
"This year we have a great mix of traditional out-of-conference opponents like Richmond and ODU, combined with teams like Louisville and Wake Forest, who we don't play as often. We expect to be tested and look forward to our team's development throughout the season."
The Eagles will open their season with a six-game road series, starting with a trip to Richmond on August 25 followed by a visit to Old Dominion on August 27.
From there, AU will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, for a two-game series against Michigan State on September 1 and Central Michigan on September 3.
The Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Maryland, will close out the first part of the season, starting with a matchup against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifier and 9th-ranked Louisville on September 8. The Eagles will close the tournament against Towson on September 10.
AU will open both its home and conference schedules on September 16 with a matchup against Patriot League-foe Bucknell at 11 AM at Jacobs Field.
Drexel (September 17) will close the Eagles' first homestand of the season, as they then travel to Lehigh on September 22 before returning home for a three-game run against Penn (September 24), Holy Cross (September 30) and Longwood (October 1.)
AU will close its home schedule on October 21 against Lafayette then hit the road for a pair of non-conference games at Wake Forest (October 27), who finished 2016 ranked No. 16 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, and Appalachian State (October 29.)
The 2017 Patriot League Tournament will take place on November 3 and 5 at the site of the top seed. There, the Eagles will seek their 11th title since joining the league in 2001.
The winner of the PL Tournament will earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The play-in game of the national tournament is slated for November 8, while the NCAA First Round will take place on November 11.
For the latest on AU Field Hockey, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_FieldHockey.
2017 Home Schedule:
Saturday, September 16, vs. Bucknell 11 AM
Sunday, September 17 vs. Drexel 1:00 PM
Sunday, September 24 vs. Penn 1 PM
Saturday, September 30 vs. Holy Cross 12 PM
Sunday, October 1 vs. Longwood 1 PM
Saturday, October 21 vs. Lafayette 12 PM
Home games are played at Jacobs Field. Click here for ticket information.
