FULL SCHEDULE
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara University women's lacrosse team and head coach
Wendy Stone announced the 2020 regular season schedule on Monday. The Purple Eagles' 17-game schedule features six games at Niagara Field, including the home opener on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. against Merrimack. The road schedule is highlighted by trips to ACC, Big East, and Ivy League schools.
"Our 2020 schedule presents us with numerous challenges heading into our MAAC Conference slate, all of which will help prepare us for what is always a competitive MAAC schedule," Stone said. "We look forward to building upon the foundation that we built this fall as we face opponents from some of the top conferences in the country."
The Purple Eagles open the season with a matchup at Boston University on Feb. 14. They will stay in Boston for two more nights to face off against Harvard on Feb. 16 at noon. It will be the Purple Eagles' first-ever matchup against both of these schools.
Niagara returns home a week later to host the Merrimack Warriors. After competing as a Division II school since 1999, the Warriors will be moving up to the Division I Northeast Conference in 2020. Merrimack finished the season ranked No. 15 in the country and knocked off the top two teams in the nation in the Northeast-10 tournament – including a 10-9 win over No. 1 Le Moyne in the championship game.
After facing the Warriors, the Purple Eagles head to Milwaukee to take on Marquette on Feb. 23. This will be the third consecutive season that the teams play each other. Last season, the Golden Eagles defeated Niagara, 16-12, on Monteagle Ridge.
A road date with Binghamton on March 3 renews Niagara's rivalry with the Bearcats. The two teams last met in 2018, when the Purple Eagles opened their season with an 8-7 win at home.
The team's next test comes in the form of ACC side Louisville on March 9. The Cardinals are coming off a 5-13 season that included a 15-12 loss at Marquette. It will mark the first time Niagara and Louisville play each other, and just the second time the Purple Eagles will take on a team from the ACC.
Niagara hosts Saint Francis (PA) on Thursday, March 12 at 3 p.m. The Purple Eagles are 6-2 against the Red Flash since the first meeting in 2002 – tied for the second-most wins for Niagara against any non-conference opponent.
The final non-conference games of the season make up the Purple Eagles' longest road trip in 2020, as Niagara visits Coastal Carolina (March 15) and East Carolina (March 17). The Purple Eagles have never played the Pirates before, and fell, 13-8, in their lone outing against the Chanticleers in 2016.
MAAC play opens on March 21 when Monmouth hosts the Purple Eagles. Niagara is 4-5 all-time against the Hawks, and has won three of the last four matchups.
Following a full week off, the team travels to take on two-time defending conference champion Fairfield on March 28.
Four of the next five games are at Niagara Field. 2019 runner-up Siena (April 1) and Quinnipiac (April 4) precede the team's trip to Marist (April 8). The Purple Eagles return home to take on Iona (April 11) before closing out the home portion of the 2020 slate with the annual Battle of the Bridge game against Canisius (April 15).
Niagara's final regular season game is an away contest at Manhattan on April 18.
The 2020 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship begins with first-round games on April 25. Two semifinal games will be played at the home field of the first-seeded team on April 30, with the championship game on tap for May 2.
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