PITTSBURGH - Duquesne lacrosse head coach Michael Scerbo's Dukes will face the five-time defending NCAA Northwestern Wildcats and make a trip to South Bend, Ind. as part of their 17-game 2010 schedule released today.

In addition to the seven-game league schedule, the Atlantic 10 Conference selected Duquesne University's Rooney Field as the site of the 2010 lacrosse championship.

"The Duquesne University lacrosse program is extremely excited for the 2010 schedule," said Scerbo. Our non-conference schedule allows us the opportunity to matchup with national powers like Denver, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and five-time defending national champions Northwestern. But more importantly we are looking forward to another great year of extremely competitive A-10 play and the opportunity to host the A-10 Championships here in Pittsburgh."

Duquesne beings the 2010 campaign with three consecutive road matches. The season kicks off in Denver, Colo. for a pair of games – Feb. 20 against Stony Brook in a neutral site match and Denver on Feb. 22. The following weekend, Feb. 27, the Dukes travel to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish. UND won the Big East Championship in 2009 and advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 2010 home-opener will be Mar. 5 when Ohio State visits Rooney Field. The Dukes are 9-3 all-time in home-openers and look to end a three-match slide against the Buckeyes.

DU will be hitting the road again beginning on Mar. 7 when they travel to Cincinnati. The visiting team has won each time the Dukes and Bearcats have played. Mar. 12 will be the season's biggest challenge when they visit five-time defending NCAA Northwestern. The Wildcats went undefeated last season en route to the title. The three-match road trip concludes Mar. 14 in Lewisburg, Pa. when Duquesne faces Bucknell.

The Dukes are back at Rooney Field the next weekend to host Detroit on Mar. 19 and Canisius on Mar. 21. Last season, DU defeated both teams by a combined score of 29-11.

The 2010 A-10 season begins in Philadelphia when Duquesne faces Saint Joseph's on Mar. 26 and La Salle on Mar. 28. The Dukes begin a three-match home stand beginning Apr. 1 with St. Bonaventure on Apr. 1 before stepping out of conference play to host Robert Morris on Apr. 3. Defending A-10 champion Massachusetts comes to Rooney Field on Apr. 9.

DU's plays its third match in Philly on Apr. 11 when they face Temple. The Dukes defeated the Owls last season at Rooney Field for their first-ever home win against TU.

The regular season concludes at home with Richmond on Apr. 16 and George Washington Apr. 18. Both team qualified for the A-10 Championship last season.

The top four teams qualify for the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship. The semifinals are Apr. 23 and the final is Apr. 25 at Rooney Field.

Date   Opponent / Event          Location                Time
 
2/20   vs. Stony Brook           Denver, Colo.       12:00 a.m. ET
2/22   at Denver                 Denver, Colo.        3:00 p.m. ET
2/27   at Notre Dame             South Bend, Ind      6:00 p.m. ET
 
3/05   vs. Ohio State            Rooney Field         4:00 p.m. ET
3/07   at Cincinnati             Cincinnati, Ohio    10:00 p.m. ET
3/12   at Northwestern           Evanston, Ill.       3:00 p.m. ET
3/14   at Bucknell               Lewisburg, Pa.       3:00 p.m. ET
3/19   vs. Detroit               Rooney Field         4:00 p.m. ET
3/21   vs. Canisius              Rooney Field         3:00 p.m. ET
3/26   at Saint Joseph's *       Philadelphia, Pa.    4:00 p.m. ET
3/28   at La Salle *             Philadelphia, Pa.   11:00 a.m. ET
 
4/01   vs. St. Bonaventure *     Rooney Field         4:00 a.m. ET
4/03   vs. Robert Morris *       Rooney Field         1:00 a.m. ET
4/09   vs. Massachusetts *       Rooney Field         3:00 p.m. ET
4/11   at Temple *               Philadelphia, Pa.    1:00 p.m. ET
4/16   vs. Richmond *            Rooney Field         4:00 p.m. ET
4/18   vs. George Washington *   Rooney Field         1:00 p.m. ET
 
4/23   Semifinal Round           Rooney Field         TBA
4/25   Final Round               Rooney Field         TBA

2009-10-01