UAlbany Coach Phil Sykes Announces Women's Field Hockey Schedule for 2010 Season

Albany, N.Y. - Three NCAA Tournament participants and a home tournament highlight the 2010 University at Albany field hockey schedule, as head coach Phil Sykes announced today. UAlbany, who won last year's America East Conference regular-season crown, will have 10 home games, including matchups against Connecticut and Syracuse, a pair of programs who made the 2009 NCAA field.

The Great Danes will kick off the season hosting the Capital Land College Classic, welcoming Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra and Boston U. for the four-team tournament on August 28-29. UAlbany will continue non-conference play with home games against 2009 Big East Champions Connecticut (Sept. 12), Bryant (Sept. 24) and crosstown-rival Siena (Sept. 28) at Alumni Turf Field. NCAA Tournament participants Syracuse (Oct. 10), which finished 2009 ranked eighth in the nation after falling in the second round of the tournament, and American (Oct. 17) will also make appearances in Albany later in the season.

The Great Danes will face non-conference opponents Bucknell (Sept. 4) and Michigan (Sept. 18) on the road, while also facing Northeast Conference Tournament participant Quinnipiac (Sept. 17) in Ann Arbor. UAlbany also visits Massachusetts on Sept. 26. The Minutewomen wrapped up the 2009 season ranked 19th in the country after an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament appearance.

UAlbany will kick off America East Conference play on the road at Fairfield (Oct. 2) and also play league foes Vermont (Oct. 16) and New Hampshire (Oct. 30) away from home. Maine visits Alumni Turf Field on Oct. 9, while 2009 America East Tournament champions Boston University will make an appearance on the UAlbany campus on Oct. 24.

UAlbany finished the 2009 season ranked 18th in the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I Coaches' Poll after winning its second straight America East regular-season title. The Great Danes return last season's conference defensive player of the year Suzy Clephane, and five all-rookie team members, led by Taylor Luke. Clephane and Luke anchored a UAlbany defense that led all Division I teams with a 0.56 goals against average.

Sykes repeated as the conference's coach of the year after guiding UAlbany to a 12-4 overall record and a national ranking as high as 16th during the regular season. The Great Danes were ranked for seven consecutive weeks, and were the lone undefeated team in the conference until the final game of the season. UAlbany earned the right to host the America East Conference Field Hockey Championship for the second straight year.

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2010 University at Albany Field Hockey Schedule

August: 28 (Sat.) Virginia Commonwealth+, 12 p.m.; 29 (Sun.) Hofstra+, 12 p.m.

September: 4 (Sat.) at Bucknell, 1 p.m.; 12 (Sun.) Connecticut, 2 p.m.; 17 (Fri.) Quinnipiac++, 1 p.m.; 18 (Sat.) at Michigan, 10 a.m.; 20 (Mon.) at St. Louis, 4:30 p.m.; 24 (Fri.) Bryant, 3 p.m.; 26 (Sun.) at Massachusetts, 1 p.m.; 28 (Tue.) Siena, 4 p.m.

October: 2 (Sat.) at Fairfield*, 2 p.m.; 3 (Sun.) at Providence, 2 p.m.; 9 (Sat.) Maine*, 4 p.m.; 10 (Sun.) Syracuse, 2 p.m.; 16 (Sat.) at Vermont*, 2 p.m.; 17 (Sun.) American, 3 p.m.; 24 (Sun.) Boston U.*, 3 p.m.; 30 (Sat.) at New Hampshire*, 1 p.m.

* America East Conference Opponent

+ Capital Land College Classic (Albany, N.Y.)

++ Ann Arbor, Mich.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information