Field Hockey Releases 2005 Fall Schedule
January 31, 2005 | Field Hockey
Jan. 31, 2005
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - University of Louisville field hockey head coach Pam Bustin has released the 2005 fall schedule. The schedule features seven 2004 NCAA tournament teams including three-time defending national champion Wake Forest, and 2004 semi-finalists Duke and Michigan State. The 2005 season also marks Louisville's inaugural year in BIG EAST Conference play.
"The Cardinal field hockey team is excited about the challenges ahead and takes pride in preparing to compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament," said Bustin. "We always have a strong schedule and 2005 is no exception, as we will face some of the finest programs in the country. As we continue to build and strengthen our program, the challenges are vast!"
The Cards will open at home against 2004 NCAA runner-up Duke on August 27 in Louisville's Champions Tournament at Trager Stadium. The winner of that game will play the winner of the matchup between 2004 NCAA semi-finalist Michigan State and No. 19 Boston University on August 28. After their opening weekend, the Cardinals will continue their home stretch with four more games including a rematch with NorPac conference tournament champion Pacific who defeated the Louisville 1-0 in overtime in the 2004 NCAA play-in game.
U of L opens BIG EAST play against Syracuse on Sept. 24 at Trager Stadium. On Oct. 8, three-time defending national champion Wake Forest will revisit Trager Stadium, the site where they won their first national title in 2002. The Cards close BIG EAST play against Rutgers on Oct. 21 at Trager Stadium and will honor the 2005 seniors when they play Radford in their final home game on Oct. 23.
Louisville finishes up the regular season in Ann Arbor, Mich., where they will face Iowa and Michigan, which finished the 2004 season ranked No. 5 and No. 11 respectively. The BIG EAST Conference Championship will be held Nov. 4-6 at Rutgers.
"We are thrilled to announce our 2005 field hockey schedule!" said Bustin. It is exciting to see a new look to our fall schedule - we welcome our BIG EAST opponents to Trager Stadium and look forward to league competition on the road. Moving to the BIG EAST has allowed us to add a great variety of programs to our schedule. We open with the "Initial Four" Tournament featuring two - 2004 NCAA final four teams in Duke and Michigan State and a very strong Boston University team. Hopefully our schedule and our performances will earn us a spot in our inaugural Big East Conference Tournament taking place at Rutgers University where the top four teams in the conference compete for the conference crown."
U of L finished the 2004 season with a 12-10 overall record and posted a program-best 8-2 MAC record while tying Kent State for the regular season championship. After winning their second consecutive MAC Tournament, the Cards fell to Pacific 1-0 in overtime in an NCAA play-in game.
