2015 LIU Post Women's Lacrosse Schedule

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 2015) - Head Coach Meghan McNamara (East Northport, N.Y.) and the LIU Post women's lacrosse team revealed their 2015 schedule on Wednesday. The slate of contests for the upcoming campaign includes five games against teams that finished last season ranked inside the IWLCA Top-15 Poll, as well as one first-time match-up and a re-match of the 2012 NCAA Division II National Championship.

"We are really excited for our schedule this year," said McNamara. "It is a very competitive slate of games. For this team to have a schedule like this with a difficult first five games of the season, we know that it is going to be a tough start, but our team is ready to compete and we cannot wait to start playing."

The Pioneers finished the 2014 campaign with a record of 18-2 overall and an unblemished 7-0 mark in East Coast Conference play during the regular season. The year culminated with a runner-up finish in the inaugural ECC Championship as well as an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals, where they were defeated by eventual champion Adelphi.

The green and gold will play nine contests out-of-conference to go along with their eight-game ECC schedule. In addition, the Pioneers will play eight squads that completed last season with at least 10 wins. 

Eight match-ups will take place at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, beginning with the team's season-opening contest against Holy Family on Feb. 28. The Pioneers will then play their next four contests on the road, beginning with their ECC opener against Mercy in Dobbs Ferry on Mar. 4.

The 2015 schedule will also include a re-match of last year's NCAA quarterfinal with New Haven. The Chargers finished the year ranked sixth in the IWLCA Top-15 Poll, and were defeated by the Pioneers twice over the course of the season. The game will take place in Melbourne, Fla. on Mar. 14. Afterwards, LIU Post will return home to host Philadelphia on Mar. 19. The Rams won the CACC Championship last year, posting a 17-1 overall record and taking all 11 games in-conference.

The Pioneers will also welcome Saint Anselm to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Mar. 25. The Hawks were a 13-win team last season and ended the year No. 9 in the IWLCA ledger. Then, LIU Post will host Findlay for the first time in program history on Mar. 29. The Oilers are the first team from the Great Lakes region to visit Brookville since the Pioneers hosted Lake Erie in an ECC contest in 2012. Findlay finished last season with an 8-11 record and a 5-3 mark in GLIAC competition.

"We are thrilled to welcome in Findlay for the first time ever," McNamara stated. "Our team is happy to be able to expand our horizons to Ohio and face a tough challenge in a team like Findlay."

The marquee conference match-up for the Pioneers will take place on Apr. 8, when LIU Post hosts Dowling. The Golden Lions finished last year with a 7-1 league record and defeated the green and gold in the conference championship, before bowing out to Adelphi in the NCAA quarterfinals. Then, after ECC contests at UDC (Apr. 11) and at home against St. Thomas Aquinas (Apr. 18), the Pioneers will trek to Pennsylvania to face West Chester on Apr. 22. The last time the Golden Rams faced LIU Post was in the 2012 National Championship game, with LIU Post coming out on top of a 17-16 thriller.

Stonehill awaits the Pioneers after their tussle in the Keystone State. The Skyhawks finished last year as the No. 12 team in the country with 12 wins to boot. That game will take place on Apr. 25, and LIU Post will have a quick turnaround as they host ECC foe Queens in their final contest of the regular season the next day (Apr. 26).

"We are just excited to be able to play," McNamara reiterated. "We have two seniors who are back from injury this year to go along with a team full of young and hungry student-athletes. We are eager to get them back on the field and start on this journey with the schedule we have in the 2015 season."