WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. –Monmouth University head field hockey coach Carli Figlio announced her team's 2014 schedule which features three NCAA Tournament participants from last season, a trio of opponents MU will face for the first time in program history, 11 home contests on So Sweet A Cat Field and the second year of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, culminating with 2014 MAAC Field Hockey Tournament, scheduled for November 7th and 8th at the highest seed.

“I am very excited about this upcoming season and the schedule that we put together,” commented Figlio, who enters her eighth year at the helm of the Hawks. “We will face challenges early in the season with the chance to excel before we begin conference play. I am also excited to be playing a lot of home contests as we have had great success in front of our fans on our home turf over the last few years.”

After scrimmages at Boston University (8/21) and home against Saint Joseph's (8/24), the Blue and White open its season against Missouri State on August 29th. The first-ever contest against the Bears marks the fourth time in the last six years Monmouth will open its season in West Long Branch. Opening weekend continues on Sunday, August 31st when Bucknell and Monmouth face off for the first time since 2007, Figlio's first season at the helm of the program.

September 5th and 7th place the Blue and White against two more Patriot League opponents. The Leopards of Lafayette will travel to New Jersey for the first meeting between the two sides since 2009. The Leopards, who received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, reached the Patriot League Tournament in Jennifer Stone's first year as head coach. The Hawks then hit the road for the first time to take on Lehigh for the fifth-straight season. MU is 3-1 over the last four years against the Mountain Hawks.

Monmouth will see its first new opponent on September 14th when it travels to Norfolk, Va. for a tilt with Old Dominion. ODU, an NCAA Tournament qualifier from a year ago which was ranked as high as fifth in the country under first-year head coach Andrew Griffths, finished the season 13-8 and 6-1 in its inaugural year in the Big East.

Figlio's squad will return home five days later looking to avenge an overtime loss in last year's season opener to Northeastern. The Huskies, who were ranked 15th when the Hawks met them in 2013, reached the CAA finals, falling to Delaware, a team which MU defeated. The Blue and White continues a five game home stand on September 21st when Davidson comes to town, the first meeting since the Hawks beat the Wildcats in North Carolina back in 2010.

Future MAAC foe Fairfield, which finished 11-7 last season competing in the America East, will battle MU on September 26th. The Stags, who are set to join the league in 2015, are followed by Cornell on September 28th. The Big Red finished last season 10-7 and 4-3 in conference play, good for third place in the Ivy League.

The Blue and White wraps up its home stand on October 4th as it welcomes Michigan State, the Big Ten Tournament Champions, to New Jersey. The Spartans, led by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) West Region Coach of the Year Helen Knull, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season with a 14-10 (4-2 Big Ten) mark. The next day, MU will travel to Philadelphia to take on Villanova for the first time since the season opener in 2010 when the Hawks captured the program's first victory over the Wildcats.

The Hawks return to the City of Brotherly Love on October 9th to battle Penn on the newly renovated Ellen Vagelos C'90 Field. The Quakers celebrated its best season in recent memory, finishing with a 13-4 (5-2 Ivy) record, their highest win total since 2004. The Hawks are 1-1 all-time against Penn, earning the victory the last time the two teams met back in 2009.
MU concludes its non-conference slate on October 22nd when it looks to snap a two-game losing streak to in-state foe Rutgers. The Hawks fell in last year's meeting with the Scarlet Knights 4-3 in overtime in Piscataway.

For the third time in program history, and for the first time since 2004, the Hawks will open up conference play with rival Rider on October 17th in Lawrenceville. The Broncs finished 13-7 (5-1 MAAC) last season and earned the MAAC Regular Season Championship. MU continues MAAC play on October 19th when it travels to Sacred Heart, looking to extend its five-game winning streak over the Pioneers.

Monmouth heads back to the Nutmeg State on October 26th for its final road game of the year against Quinnipiac, the defending MAAC Tournament Champions. The Bobcats ended last year 14-7 (5-1 MAAC) and earned the program's first berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue and White have won three of the last four meetings with QU.

The final weekend of the regular season slates the Hawks against Siena and Bryant on October 31st and November 2nd. MU holds a 19-4 all-time advantage over the Saints, including winning the last five games. The Bulldogs reached the MAAC Tournament last season after finishing 11-7 (4-2 MAAC). The Blue and White stands 5-1 in the six meetings with Bryant.

The MAAC Tournament, which features the league's top-four teams, will be played November 7-8 at the highest seed.