Temple Field Hockey Set for Challenging Schedule in 2011
PHILADELPHIA – Seventh-year head coach Amanda Janney has put together an ambitious schedule for the Temple field hockey team in 2011, including a home game against Maryland, the defending national champ. The Owls will open the season in their own Conference Cup Tournament at Geasey Field on Friday, Aug. 26.
PHILADELPHIA – Seventh-year head coach Amanda Janney has put together an ambitious schedule for the Temple field hockey team in 2011, including a home game against Maryland, the defending national champ. The Owls will open the season in their own Conference Cup Tournament at Geasey Field on Friday, Aug. 26.
After playing Bucknell at noon on Friday, the Owls will turn around and face Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28 to wrap up the tournament.
Temple will face six other teams that were ranked in the top 20 at the end of the 2010 season- #8 Michigan, #10 Penn State, #13 Wake Forest, #17 Drexel and #18 Massachusetts. The Owls are set to play a total of 14 non-conference games and six Atlantic 10 Conference contests this season.
"We're excited to have a strong start to really gauge where we are with our game against Maryland," said Janney. "We'll find out right away what we need to work on and where we stand against the best in the nation, and that will help prepare us for the A-10.
"We try to schedule tough non-conference opponents to really test our team early on. It helps us work on a variety of strategies before we head into conference play."
The second weekend of the 2011 slate has Temple hosting a second tournament, facing Michigan and Ohio. The Owls will then play five of their next eight contests on the road before starting A-10 action at Saint Joseph's on Oct. 7.
Breaking up conference play, Temple will face Janney's alma mater, Wake Forest, at home on Oct. 8. "This is the first time I've scheduled Wake Forest since I've been here," said Janney. "I think the team is finally ready to play and compete against the best in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). We have a very strong senior class that I believe is up for the challenge of playing this schedule."
After hosting the Atlantic 10 Championships a year ago, the Owls will not have to go far should they earn a tournament berth again this season, as Saint Joseph's will serve as the host in 2011.