UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. July 11, 2005 - The Penn State field hockey team has announced its 2005 fall schedule. The highly-competitive slate features six 2004 NCAA Tournament participants, including Old Dominion, Connecticut, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State and North Carolina. The Nittany Lions open at perennial powerhouse Old Dominion on Aug. 27 before traveling to William & Mary for an Aug. 28 match. Penn State returns to University Park for its home debut vs. Lock Haven on Sept. 2. The Lions will host six other non-conference opponents, including Connecticut (Sept. 4), Villanova (Sept. 9), Saint Joseph's (Sept. 11), West Chester (Sept. 18), Syracuse (Sept. 28) and Bucknell (Oct. 18). Penn State will also travel to Temple (Sept. 14) and Lafayette (Sept. 16). Penn State's first Big Ten match will take place at home when the Lions take on Northwestern on Sept. 24. Penn State then travels to Michigan (Oct. 2) and Iowa (Oct. 8) before returning home for a three-game homestand that includes two Big Ten foes, Michigan State (Oct. 15) and Ohio State (Oct. 22). The Lions round out their Big Ten schedule with an Oct. 28 contest at Indiana. The Lions also welcome back former All-American Tara Maguire, who is returning for her first year as assistant coach under Char Morett. Maguire was the 1996 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. She scored 28 goals that year, which is the fourth-best single-season output in Penn State history, and tallied 71 points, which ranks third on the all-time single-season charts. Penn State went 10-10 last season, missing the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the Tournament's 23-year existence. The Nittany Lions bring back an experienced lineup, including the entire defense, which allowed a Big Ten-best 1.3 goals per game. Bekah Hostetler (Hershey, Pa.) returns as the team's most decorated player. The midfielder was an All-Big Ten pick last year, and also collected second-team All-American honors in 2004. Kiersten Wood (Lititz, Pa.) was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season and will look to find similar success in her sophomore campaign. Head coach Char Morett returns for her 19th season at Penn State. Morett has amassed a 330-120-16 record over her 20-year career, and is inching closer to 300 wins at Penn State, with a 293-104-9 mark with the Lions. In other news, Morett announced that Molly Schriver (Kenilworth, Ill.), Sara Cahill (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Natalie Berrena (State College, Pa.) will be the 2005 team captains. Schriver and Cahill are the anchors of Penn State's venerable defense. Cahill is one of the most experienced leaders of that group, and was a 2004 All-Big Ten selection. Local native Berrena provides Morett with versatility on the midfield and forward lines. 2005 FIELD HOCKEY SCHEDULE AUGUST Sat. 27 at Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. 1:00 p.m. Sun. 28 at Wiliam & Mary Williamsburg, Va. 12:00 p.m. SEPTEMBER Fri. 2 Lock Haven University Park, Pa. 7:00 p.m. Sun. 4 Connecticut University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Wed. 7 at Princeton Princeton, NJ 6:00 p.m. Fri. 9 Villanova University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. Sun. 11 St. Joseph University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Wed. 14 at Temple Philadelphia, Pa. 3:30 p.m. Fri. 16 at Lafayette Easton, Pa. 7:00 p.m. Sun. 18 West Chester University Park, Pa. 2:00 p.m. Sat. 24 Northwestern* University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Wed. 28 Syracuse University Park, Pa. 4:00 p.m. OCTOBER Sun. 2 at Michigan* Ann Arbor, Mich. 12:00 p.m. Sat. 8 at Iowa* Iowa City, Ia. 12:00 p.m. Sat. 15 Michigan State* University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Tue. 18 Bucknell University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. Sat. 22 Ohio State* University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Sun. 23 Ohio St. vs. Lock Haven University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m. Fri. 28 at Indiana* Bloomington, Ind. 3:00 p.m. Sun. 30 at North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 1:00 p.m. NOVEMBER Fri.-Sun. 4-6 at Big Ten Championships Iowa City, Iowa TBA Sat.-Sun. 12-13 NCAA Championships TBA TBA Sat.-Sun. 19-20 NCAA Championships TBA TBA * indicates Big Ten game
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