Missouri State field hockey head coach Gabby Gomez-Sosa announced the finalization of her team's 2011 season schedule Monday. The team begins a new era of Missouri State field hockey under first year head coach Gomez-Sosa and will host six regular season home matches this fall at Plaster Field.

The Bears will kick-off their 41st season of play with a five game road stint, beginning Aug. 27 and 28 in St. Louis with matchups against Sacred Heart and St. Louis University, respectively. MSU then travels to Bloomington, Indiana to face yet another non-conference competitor, Indiana University. The Bears then head to Louisville, Kentucky to play a pair of matches at Trager Stadium against the University of Louisville Cardinals and the Mountaineers of Appalachian State University on Sept. 9 and 10. 

"We're really excited about our fall schedule," said Gomez-Sosa. "Every game is going to be an important one. Our non-conference matches against teams like Iowa, Indiana, and Louisville are simply going to challenge us and better prepare us for our tough conference matchups."

MSU will then take on St. Louis University in the Bears home opener on Sept. 15, but will quickly turnaround just a few days later to head to Iowa City, taking on the Hawkeyes at the University of Iowa. The field hockey Bears then head back to Springfield for a two-game home stretch on Sept. 23 and 25, opening up conference play versus the top conference preseason pick, Kent University and then facing the Ohio University Bobcats.

Then MSU hits the road again for a six game stretch, starting off with a double matchup against Central Michigan University on Oct. 1 and 2, in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The next week, MSU heads to Oxford, Ohio to duke it out with Miami University and then to Muncie, Indiana to take on Ball State University. On Oct. 15 and 16, the Bears will travel to Ohio University and Kent State University for the second half of conference play.

The Bears will return home to conclude the final weeks of regular season play, facing Lindenwood University on Oct. 22, Miami University on Oct. 29, and Ball State University on Oct. 30. MSU will then get set to play in the Mid-America Conference Championships Nov. 2-5.

MSU was sent home early in the 2010 MAC Championships after a controversial goal late in the second half against Central Michigan. The field hockey Bears finished with a 5-15 overall record, going 2-8 in conference last season.