The Field Hockey Bears have finalized a 2010 schedule that features nine home games, the most in head coach Dawn Callahan's 13 seasons, as they try to claw their way to the top of the Mid-American Conference.

The Bears were 3-4 last season at the friendly confines of Plaster Field, including a 3-2 overtime stunner of eventual MAC regular season and tournament champion, Ohio University.

Callahan's squad will open that home slate, and the regular season, with an Aug. 28 visit from Lindenwood. The Bears last faced the Lions in 2008 and came out on the winning end of an 8-0 decision. MSU leads the all-time series, 6-1.

From there, the team travels to Hanover, N.H., for two weekend games against Fairfield and Dartmouth, Sept. 4-5. They are back in the Show-Me State but away from home for Sept.10-11 games against in-state rival Saint Louis and Big Ten power Northwestern on the Billikens' campus.

Two midweek home games against UC Davis (Sept. 15) and Saint Louis (Sept. 29) sandwich road games at Indiana (Sept. 19) and Pacific (Sept. 26) to close out September, and the non-conference season.

A trip to Muncie, Ind., and Ball State the first weekend of October brings conference play and the first of four road MAC games. That same weekend, they will face Miami in Oxford, Ohio. The following weekend is a two-game swing at Ohio and Kent State.

Then it is back home for the final six regular season games. The Bears will welcome all five MAC teams to Springfield, with two games against Central Michigan for travel purposes. A Halloween game against Kent State will serve as the regular-season finale.

Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and Central Michigan will host the 2010 MAC Tournament, Nov. 4-6.

Sixteen members return from a team that finished the 2009 season 4-16 overall, 1-9 in the MAC. They will face the tough task of replacing the production of all-MAC performers, seniors Alyssa Hile and Melissa Lantz. The duo either assisted on or scored 33 of the team's 44 goals.