PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team will embark on a 17-game schedule in 2018, once again lining up a challenging slate of non-conference opponents to go along with a grueling Ivy League slate.
 
"We pride ourselves as a program on taking on the tough challenges," said head coach Colleen Fink. "We're willing to line up against top competition and meet those challenges head on. Our goal is to not only play those teams, but to play with them and pick up wins in those games. We're excited for the opportunities that await us in 2018 and getting our group back together in August."
 
Highlighting the early portion of the non-conference schedule is the first-ever Conference Crossover event August 31-September 2. Ellen Vagelos Field will be home to four outstanding field hockey games as Penn, Princeton and North Carolina will meet to open the season. Each team will play games against the two schools from the opposite conference – Penn opens its season on August 31 against Wake Forest (2 p.m.) followed by a September 2 date with North Carolina (1:30 p.m.)
 
The Quakers will take on four Philadelphia rivals in non-conference play in 2018, starting with a road game at Villanova on September 7. Penn is home for its three other City games – taking on Saint Joseph's (September 9), Drexel (September 16) and Temple (September 30) at Vagelos Field.
 
Road non-conference games for the Quakers include trips to Iowa (September 14), Syracuse (September 23), Lafayette (October 8) and Delaware (October 14).
 
The Quakers open Ivy League play on September 22 at Cornell. The home Ivy opener is the following weekend against Harvard. The 2018 regular season concludes November 3 at Princeton.

• Penn will play six of the 18 teams which competed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including five of 10 non-conference opponents. NCAA teams from last season on Penn's 2018 schedule include Princeton, national semifinalist North Carolina, Wake Forest, Saint Joseph's, Syracuse and Delaware.
• Last year, Penn played seven games against teams ranked in the Top-20, going 2-5 in those games.
• In 2017, Penn picked up its first-ever win over Syracuse, improving to 1-4 in the all-time series with a thrilling 3-2 win at Vagelos Field.
• 2018 will mark the first-ever meeting between Penn and Wake Forest in field hockey.
• The Quakers play eight times at home on Ellen Vagelos Field.
• Penn hits the road nine times in 2018.
• The Red and Blue return two All-Ivy players from 2017 in senior Paige Meily and junior Alexa Schneck.

2018 Penn Field Hockey Schedule
August 23 RIDER (Scrimmage) 3 p.m.
August 31 WAKE FOREST 2 p.m.
September 2 NORTH CAROLINA 1:30 p.m.
September 7 at Villanova 4 p.m.
September 9 SAINT JOSEPH'S 1 p.m.
September 14 at Iowa 2:30 p.m.
September 16 DREXEL 1 p.m.
September 22 at Cornell* 12 p.m.
September 23 at Syracuse           1 p.m.
September 29 HARVARD* 12 p.m.
September 30 TEMPLE 1 p.m.
October 6 at Dartmouth* 12 p.m.
October 8 at Lafayette 4 p.m.
October 12 COLUMBIA* 3:30 p.m.
October 14 at Delaware 1 p.m.
October 20 at Yale* 12 p.m.
October 27 BROWN* 12 p.m.
November 3 at Princeton 12 p.m.
All home games in BOLD CAPS and played at Ellen Vagelos Field
*Ivy League Game
All Dates and Times Subject To Change