2013 Schedule
HOBOKEN, N.J. (June 7, 2013) – Head Coach
Emily Beach (Hoboken, N.J.) and the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey program released its 2013 schedule Thursday. Stevens will start its season with four-straight games on the De Baun Athletic Complex turf and feature nine home games over the course of the season.
After a year in which the Ducks won 16 contests (16-7 overall), the Empire 8 regular-season title and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic crown, Stevens will battle against six teams that reached the national tournament a year ago.
The Ducks open Friday, August 30 against Messiah College and return to action versus in-state rival and national power The College of New Jersey the next day. Messiah is coming off a season in which it reached the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Field Hockey Championship behind a 4-3 win over Catholic University. The Falcons earned the Commonwealth Conference title and finished their 2012 campaign with an overall record of 17-4. TCNJ is coming off of a 15-5 season in which it reached the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament semifinals, falling to Rowan University. Last year, the Lions downed Stevens as the top-ranked team in the nation in each team's opener by a 5-3 final
"We are starting off with two very strong opponents in TCNJ and Messiah and are excited for the challenge,” commented Beach. “Both games will give us a good indication of where we stand at the beginning of the season and perhaps what we need to work on going forward."
The Ducks will take the next week to practice before welcoming Kean University to town before Empire 8 Conference play begins with a tilt against Washington & Jefferson College on September 14. The Cougars and Ducks have not squared off since a 3-0 Stevens win in 2009. W&J reached the conference semifinals a year ago, falling to Coach Beach's Ducks 5-1 in Utica, N.Y. Stevens came out on top in both meetings a year ago, outscoring the President's 9-3 and it has won the last 10 meetings between the two schools dating back to November 7, 2007.
Stevens will visit Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham in its first road game of the year on September 18. The Ducks downed the Devils by a 3-2 margin last September and the two programs typically have tight matchups.
The Ducks' first out-of-state trip of the year will be to Oneonta, New York where Stevens will take on Hartwick College September 21. The Ducks will return home for a non-conference game against Cabrini College before hitting the road for a pair – one at E8 foe Ithaca College and one at in-state and NJAC rival Montclair State University. The Ducks have been victorious versus the Bombers the last seven meetings but fell to MSU last year in a tight game 3-2. The Red Hawks were ranked 10th nationally at the time and eventually made a run to the National Championship game last November.
October 5 will surely be circled on the Ducks' calendars as they play host to defending Empire 8 Champion Utica College. In 2012, Utica won the tournament title as the second-seeded host due to Hurricane Sandy. The Pioneers defeated Stevens in a thrilling final, 4-3, earning the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and reaching the second round on the back of a 4-1 win over Endicott College.
The string of tough games will continue as Stevens will make a trip to SUNY New Paltz for a battle with the Hawks. New Paltz reached the NCAA Tournament via the SUNYAC Championship, defeating SUNY Cortland in a shootout. Stevens and New Paltz did not play last year but the Ducks are 4-2 against the Hawks dating back to October of 2006.
The Ducks return home to host St. John Fisher College on October 12 before welcoming another NCAA Tournament participant Rowan to town on October 16. The Ducks have defeated Fisher each of the previous two years as the Cardinals started their field hockey program in 2011. Rowan defeated the Ducks 2-0 last year on the way to an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Stevens will embark on a three-game road trip to conference foes Houghton College and Nazareth College on October 19 and 20, before visiting William Paterson University on October 23. Stevens came out on top of each team in 2012, combining for 10 goals in victories over E8 rivals Houghton and Naz, and downing the Pioneers 3-1.
The Ducks' final home and conference game of the regular season will be against Elmira College and the Ducks will visit Skidmore College on November 2. Stevens earned a 3-0 road win at Elmira in October of 2012 and has never played Skidmore. The Thoroughbreds reached the NCAA Tournament last year, advancing to the second round.
The Empire 8 tourney is slated for November 9 and 10 at the regular-season champ with the winner earning the conference's at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championship.
"We faced many challenges last season that made us a much stronger team,” added Beach. “As a program we are looking forward to working together to accomplish our 2013 goals."
