No. 23 Liberty (above) and No. 1 Connecticut start the season against two fellow top 25 teams.
NEW YORK - The 2018 field hockey season gets underway on Friday with all eight teams in action this weekend. Seven teams kick off the season on Friday. Starting the season, the BIG EAST boasts two teams in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association's (NFHCA) preseason poll with reigning national champion and the league's preseason favorite Connecticut as No. 1 with 979 points and 19 first-place votes. Liberty, the host of this year's 2018 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship presented by Jeep, ranks 23rd with 143 points. Liberty closed 2017 ranked 23rd.
Early Tests
Both Connecticut and Liberty open with fellow top 25 opponents. The Huskies will play at No. 12 Northwestern to start 2018 in a Friday afternoon contest. Connecticut will stay in Evanston, Ill, to play 15th-ranked Stanford on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Flames open at No. 17 James Madison on Friday night, then travel down I-95 to play No. 3 Duke in Durham on Sunday afternoon. Quinnipiac also opens with a ranked team, hosting No. 13 Boston College on Friday.
Most teams are on the road, just Quinnipiac will be hosting. Providence and Temple are making a West Coast trip, with the Friars playing California, U.C. Davis and Pacific. Temple will also play U.C. Davis and Pacific. Old Dominion opens at Michigan State and against Kent State. Georgetown will play at Davidson and Appalachian State. Villanova will travel to Fairfield. Quinnipiac will also play a road contest at Vermont.
Preseason Recap
Connecticut was the BIG EAST coaches' unanimous pick to win the league title this year, The Huskies have won 25 straight league regular-season contests. Liberty was the coaches' pick for second. The Lady Flames were the 2017 regular-season and tournament runner-up. Liberty's Agueda Moroni and Connecticut's Amanda Collins were picked as Co-Offensive Players of the Year; Ashley Dykema of Liberty was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Year. Old Dominion was picked third with 35 point with Providence close behind with 33 points. For the full preseason release, click
HERE.
Upcoming #BIGEASTfh Schedule
Friday, Aug. 24
No. 1 CONNECTICUT at No. 12 Northwestern, 1 p.m.
OLD DOMINION at Michigan State, 1 p.m.
No. 13 Boston College at QUINNIPIAC, 3 p.m.
TEMPLE at U.C. Davis, 3:30 p.m.
GEORGETOWN at Davidson, 5:30 p.m.
No. 23 LIBERTY at No. 17 James Madison, 6 p.m.
PROVIDENCE at California, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 25
No. 1 CONNECTICUT vs. No. 15 Stanford (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m.
OLD DOMINION vs. Kent State (East Lansing, Mich.), 1 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 26
VILLANOVA at Fairfield, 12 p.m.
QUINNIPIAC at Vermont, 12 p.m.
GEORGETOWN at Appalachian State, 12 p.m.
No. 23 LIBERTY at No. 3 Duke, 1 p.m.
PROVIDENCE at U.C. Davis, 2 p.m.
TEMPLE at Pacific, 2 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 27
PROVIDENCE at Pacific, 4 p.m.
All times eastern.
BIG EAST teams in ALL CAPS