June 12, 2015

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SPRINGFIELD -- An experienced Missouri State field hockey team will head into a 17-game regular season schedule which boasts four Big Ten opponents and two 2014 NCAA Tournament participants, as head coach Gabby Gomez Sosa announced the release of the Bears' 2015 fall schedule on Friday, June 12.

The Bears' first eight games of the season features four true road games and four neutral contests that are highlighted by four Big Ten institutions and another from the Atlantic Coast Conference.  

"It's going to be definitely great competition and a good challenge," Gomez Sosa said. "We have such a big senior class, we're well prepared and we made big strides and worked very hard this past spring. We're really looking forward to see what this senior class will bring to the table."

Missouri State opens its season with back-to-back games in Louisville, Ky., at Louisville's Trager Stadium on Aug. 28 against Indiana, followed by a matchup with Appalachian State on Aug. 30.

Next comes a three-game stretch in North Carolina. The Bears travel to Davidson to face the Wildcats on Sept. 3, then take on Ohio State in a neutral-site game in Winston-Salem on Sept. 5 before squaring off with defending ACC-champion Wake Forest on Sept. 6.

After 11 days off from competition, MSU gets back to play with a match at rival Saint Louis on Sept. 17. The Bears head to Iowa City on Sept. 19 for their second-ever game versus Rutgers and take on Iowa the following day at Grant Field.

The Bears travel to the West Coast for the first time in two years when they play at UC Davis on Sept. 26 and Pacific on Sept. 27. The two-game span serves as a homecoming of sorts for MSU with 10 of the Bears' expected 25 student-athletes in 2015 coming from the state. 

"This year it just kind of happened that we go from one coast to the other," Gomez Sosa said. "It's always a good experience to go to different places and it's also very good for team bonding. The girls get some days off in between and when we go to California we have a lot of seniors from there, so they get some family time in during a busy schedule."

Mid-American Conference action begins on Oct. 2 when the Bears head to Oxford, Ohio, to face the Miami RedHawks.

Missouri State takes a game break from its MAC schedule when the Bears hold their home opener at Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, against the Saint Louis Billikens.

The Bears will play three straight games at home with Ohio visiting Springfield for a 4 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 9, as MSU's conference home opener. The Bears next host Kent State at 12 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. The Golden Flashes won the MAC last season and also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament by winning their opening round game against Delaware.

The final two road games for the Bears take place at Central Michigan and Ball State, respectively, on Oct. 16 and Oct. 24. The Bears close out the regular season with their final home match of the season, welcoming Longwood to Springfield for the first time with the contest set to start at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30. The 2015 MAC Field Hockey Championship will take place in Mount Pleasant, Mich., from Nov. 6-7 with four teams qualifying to compete for the conference championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

"Every game counts obviously, but our Mid-American Conference games are what we work towards," Gomez Sosa said. "This schedule is going to prepare us for the end of the season and to be very competitive in the MAC."

The Bears are expected to return all 21 student-athletes from their field hockey roster a year ago, which includes 10 players in their senior year of eligibility. Four incoming freshman are currently signed to enroll and play for Missouri State this fall.

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