Field Hockey Announces Upcoming 2013 Schedule
2013 Schedule | 2012 Season Stats
ALBANY, N.Y. – Winners of three of the last five America East Championships and the current defending conference champions, the University at Albany field hockey squad announced its schedule for the upcoming 2013 season.
“We have a very challenging schedule in 2013,” said head coach Phil Sykes entering his 10th year at the helm. “Defending National Champion, Princeton, will be visiting the UAlbany campus on October 27th. We are also hosting recent Final Four team, Virginia, on October 6th and NCAA Tournament participants, Lafayette and Stanford, on September 20th and 29th all of whom are very good teams and tough match ups. Every conference game will be a battle as usual. Overall, we are excited for the challenge that awaits us.”
The 19-game schedule includes the Great Danes playing 11 of their games on Alumni field, which is the most regular-season home contests scheduled since the program became Division I. Since Alumni field was constructed in 2005, Sykes has led his squad to a .726 winning percentage at home (53-20), including a perfect 10-0 record in 2007.
UAlbany begins the 2013 slate with two games on the campus of Providence College on August 30th and 31st. On August 30th, the Great Danes open the season against Bryant then follow with the host Friars on the 31st.
UAlbany will then beginsits first and longest homestand of four games from September 8th through September 18th. The Great Danes open with Ivy League opponents Cornell and Yale. Then the Great Danes welcome newly added BIG TEN member Rutgers on Sept. 15. UAlbany wraps up the four-game homestand with its crosstown rival Siena on the 18th.
The Great Danes hit the road for two games against Lafayette and Lehigh on September 20th and 22nd and then come back to Alumni field to host Sacred Heart on September 27th. UAlbany finishes the month with the Great Dane Invitational at Alumni field that features Stanford and Syracuse. The Crimson of Stanford will play Syracuse on September 28th and the Great Danes will play the Crimson on the 29th.
On October 5th, the Great Danes look to begin their quest to become back-to-back America East Tournament Champions by opening the conference slate against Maine in Orono. Under Sykes, UAlbany has posted an impressive .674 winning percentage (31-15), which includes two regular-season titles and three tournament titles.
After the contest against the Black Bears, UAlbany will go back-and-forth between its conference and non-conference schedule for the remainder of the month of October.
The Great Danes cap off the month of October hosting the defending NCAA Tournament Champion Princeton on October 27th. Since entering Division I, this marks the first time in school history that UAlbany will host a defending National Champion.
UAlbany finishes the 2013 regular-season by travelling to the newest America East school, UMass-Lowell, on November 2nd.
