The William and Mary field hockey team will play 18 matches this fall, including three against NCAA tournament teams in preparation for a post-season run.  Tribe head coach Tess Ellis has scheduled nine home matches and nine on the road for her squad, with opponents coming from the ACC and the Big Ten in addition to the always tough Colonial Athletic Association.

Complete Schedule

"We are extremely excited for this season," said Ellis. "We have challenged the girls all spring in the weight room and on the field.  We're ready to take on a tough schedule, facing nine top-25 teams and six in the first month of the season.  If we're going to return to the top 12 in the nation,  we need to keep challenging ourselves in season and in the spring.  Only time will tell, but the future is looking promising for the future of Tribe Field Hockey."

After playing a pair of scrimmages in Lynchburg Aug. 22-24, the Green and Gold begins the year at home hosting Virginia on Friday, Aug. 29.  The match begins at 4:30 p.m. at Busch Field, as the Tribe looks to repeat last year's 2-1 upset of the No. 5-ranked Cavaliers.  Virginia was 15-6 in 2013, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament to be ranked No. 7 in the final national polls.  Two days later, W&M hits the road to play at Richmond at 1 p.m.  The Spiders were 14-7 and Atlantic-10 runners-up in 2013.

Next-up is a two-game tournament at Michigan on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6.  The Tribe will take on Central Michigan (7-12, MAC runners-up) at 2 p.m. on Friday, before facing the host Wolverines Saturday at 1 p.m.  Michigan was 12-8 in the Big Ten last fall, and beat W&M 5-3 early in the season.

The longest homestand of the year is a two-week stretch with four matches in the middle of September.  On Friday, Sept. 12, W&M will play its second-straight Big Ten-foe in Rutgers, hosting the Scarlet Knights at 7 p.m.  Rutgers was a flat 9-9 last year, its best record since 2008.  On Sunday, Sept. 14, ACC newcomer Louisville visits Busch Field at 12 p.m.  The Cardinals were 15-5 in 2013, falling in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

Perhaps the toughest weekend of the year is Family Weekend, Sept. 19-21.  On Friday night, longtime rival Old Dominion comes to town at 5:30 p.m.  The Lady Monarchs were 13-8 and fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013, earning a final ranking of No. 6 in the nation.  Sunday afternoon brings NCAA silver-medalist Duke to Busch Field at 1 p.m.  The Blue Devils, ranked No. 5 in the polls, were 17-7 overall and 3-3 in the ACC before making a post-season run.

The suitcases get broken out again at the end of the month, with a two-match swing through Western North Carolina on Friday-Sunday, Sept. 26-28.  The first stop is Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State at 3 p.m.  The Mountaineers had a tough 2-17 year in 2013.  Two days later is a 1 p.m. tilt with Davidson.  Tribe alumna Ginny (Sutton) Turner '05 had the Wildcats at 6-14 last year.

CAA play gets underway at home with the start of October, with the Tribe hosting Towson and Delaware Friday and Sunday, Oct. 3-5.  W&M and the Tigers will face off at 6 p.m., while the Blue Hens match takes place at 12 p.m. on Sunday.  Towson was 1-16 last fall, while Delaware occupied the other end of the spectrum with a conference title and a win in the NCAA first round en route to a 17-5 mark.

After six straight weeks of doubles, the Green and Gold has a bit of respite with just one match each week in the middle of October.  On Sunday, Oct. 12, the Tribe heads to James Madison for a 2 p.m. match-up.  The Dukes were 10-8 and 3-3 in the CAA last fall, just missing a spot in the conference tournament.  On Homecoming, Saturday Oct. 18, W&M will host Temple in a 2 p.m. matinee.  The Owls were 14-6 in the Big East last year, losing to eventual national champion Connecticut in the conference tournament.

The final non-conference meeting of the year comes the next Friday, Oct. 24, with the Tribe heading up to VCU at 6:30 p.m.  The former conference rivals are now in the Atlantic 10, where they finished 10-10 in 2013.  On Sunday, Oct. 26, W&M is back in Williamsburg for the final home match of the year taking on Drexel at 12 p.m.  The Dragons were 13-7 and the No. 2 seed in the CAA Tournament a year ago.

The last weekend of the regular-season is on a northern trip in conference play.  Halloween (Fri., Oct. 31) has W&M on Long Island, facing Hofstra at 3 p.m.  The Pride were 6-14 last year, and lost to W&M in the final game of the regular season.  Sunday, Nov. 2, the last match before tournament play is at Northeastern at 1 p.m.  The Huskies went 8-13 in 2013, and reached the conference championship game.

The top four teams in conference play will advance to the CAA Tournament, which will be held Nov. 7 and Nov. 9.  The regular-season champion will host the event, which decides the league's automatic bid for the NCAA Championships.  The national bracket begins Nov. 15-16 with games on campus sites around the country, and the Final Four will be played out Nov. 21-23 in College Park, Md.