HEMPSTEAD, New York * Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Abby Morgan today released her squad's 2008 schedule, highlighted by visits to James M. Shuart Stadium from three-time defending National Champion Northwestern and Notre Dame. Five of the Pride's 16 opponents in 2008 were ranked in the final Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll of the 2007 season.

The game against Notre Dame will be the first-ever meeting against the Fighting Irish for Hofstra, who finished the year ranked #16 in the final IWLCA poll, compiling a 12-7 overall record and a 6-1 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) mark.

The Pride will look to defend their first-ever CAA title next season after defeating James Madison, 15-13, in the CAA championship game last year and advancing to the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship for the second time in program history.

Hofstra opens the 2008 campaign at Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) on February 17. The meeting will be the seventh all-time between the teams, but the first since an encounter during the 1995 season. The Pride will then return home for their home opener against former America East rival New Hampshire on February 23 before hosting Northwestern on February 26. Hofstra defeated New Hampshire, 9-6, last season and leads the all-time series 7-6. The contest against the Wildcats will mark the third straight season that Hofstra has met Northwestern, which earned its third consecutive national title last season with a 15-13 win over Virginia.

March features six games, three home and three away, with road tilts at Cornell (March 7), Syracuse (March 8) and Drexel (March 30). It will also be Hofstra's first-ever meeting with the Orange, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament last season. Home games during the month are against Brown (March 15), Rutgers (March 19) and Notre Dame (March 25).

April, the final month of the regular season, will see Hofstra play a total of seven games, including six against CAA opponents. A rematch of last season's CAA title game will take place on April 18 when the Pride travel to James Madison. Hofstra will play its final home game on April 13 against William & Mary, while the regular season winds down with a short trip east to face Long Island rival Stony Brook on April 22.

The CAA Championship will take place on May 2 and 4 at the highest seed and the NCAA Tournament starts with first round contests on May 11 at campus sites. Quarterfinals for the NCAA Championship are on May 17, and the semifinals and the National Championship game are on May 23 and 25 in Towson, Maryland.

2007-11-28