Field Hockey Announces 2012 Schedule

2012 Field Hockey Schedule

PHILADELPHIA - Field hockey improved its overall and Ivy League win totals in 2011 and looks to be in good position to keep trending upwards in 2012 as the Quakers return 11 letterwinners and have recently announced the addition of six incoming freshmen that will join the team this fall. The 2012 schedule features seven home games and will begin on Friday, August 31.

Right out of the gates, Penn will have a chance to reverse a pair of tough one-goal losses from a season ago. The Quakers open the 2012 campaign at home against Lehigh under the lights of Franklin Field on Friday, Aug. 31. They will finish up the first weekend with another home game against Towson on Sunday, Sept. 2. Prior to the 2011 season, Penn had not met Lehigh since 1995. Last season's game with Towson was the first ever meeting between the two schools.

The team will then be on the road in the second weekend. They will first play at Liberty on Saturday, Sept. 8. The meeting between the Quakers and Liberty will be the first in the history of the programs. Liberty won six games last season despite being in just its first year as a program. Penn will then stay in Virginia and take on Appalachian State at Liberty on Sunday, Sept. 9. The game with Appalachian State will be the second straight year these teams meet. Penn's 5-2 win against Appalachian State in 2011 was the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Field hockey will then have one more non-conference game before Ivy League play begins when it hosts Rider, the NEC champions from last season, on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The Quakers' Ivy schedule will get underway on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Cornell. After a short non-conference trip to La Salle on Wednesday, Sept. 19, Penn will play its first Ivy home game of the season against Harvard on Saturday, Sept. 22. A week later, the Quakers will get back on the road with the trip to Dartmouth on Sept. 29.

Despite having the next weekend off from Ivy League play; Penn will keep busy with a non-conference game at Lafayette on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and a home game against Radford on Sunday, October 7. The meeting between Radford and Penn will be the second time in 2012 the Quakers are playing a team for the first time in program history.

Penn will get back into Ivy League play on Friday, Oct. 12 with a home game against Columbia. With no non-conference matchups during that upcoming week, the Quakers will be on the road that next weekend for back-to-back games. On Saturday, Oct. 20, Penn will begin the weekend with the Ivy trip to Yale. Field hockey will then get on the bus for a game on Sunday, Oct. 21 at Fairfield. This meeting will be the third and final opponent Penn will be playing for the first time in 2012. The Quakers also played three teams for the first time ever during this past season.

The Quakers will wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a short trip to Villanova on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Penn's final home game, which also serves as Senior Day, will be Sunday, Oct. 28 against Brown. The final regular season game will see Penn travel to rival Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 3.

The Quakers won four games last season, starting as many as six freshmen during the year. In addition to the 11 letterwinners, the Quakers return five of their six players that scored a goal this past season and both of their All-Ivy performers.