Hempstead, NY – A 20-game schedule, including six contests against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, highlight the 2013 Hofstra Field Hockey schedule that was announced today.

Pride Head Field Hockey Coach Kathy De Angelis, who will be entering her 16th season this fall, will have 13 of the 20 contests at home in the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium. “Our 2013 schedule will be both exciting and challenging,” De Angelis says. “With 13 freshmen and sophomores on this year's roster, our slate of opponents, which includes six NCAA Tournament teams and several other contenders, will push our team and prepare us for the tough Colonial Athletic Association schedule later in the season.”

The 2013 campaign kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30 with the Hofstra-Asics Invitational featuring 2012 NCAA semifinalists, Syracuse, as well as Quinnipiac and LaSalle. The Pride will face LaSalle (8-11) and Syracuse (19-3) will take on Quinnipiac (12-7) Friday with the consolation and championship games to be played on Sunday, Sept. 1.

Following the Asics Invitational, the Pride take to the road for the first time traveling to Connecticut to face the Stags of Fairfield (10-10) on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. Hofstra returns home on Saturday, Sept. 7 to face Maine (10-10) and start a five-game homestand that will also see them host Sacred Heart (6-11) on Sept. 8, Rider (15-6) on Sept. 13, Yale (6-11) on Sept. 15 and Richmond (16-5) on Sept. 20.

The Pride close out the month of September with three road games, facing back-to-back NCAA Tournament qualifiers Massachusetts (15-9) on Sept. 22 and Northeastern (14-7), to begin their CAA schedule, on Sept. 27, and Boston University on Sept. 29.

Hofstra returns home to open October with contests against new Division I member UMass Lowell (19-4) on Oct. 4, and New Hampshire (12-8) on Oct. 6. The Pride then face their fourth NCAA Tournament team in Maryland (18-6) in College Park on Oct. 8. The Terrapins advanced to the NCAA semifinals last year before falling to eventual national champion, Princeton.

The Pride return home for four more games to end the month with NCAA Tournament teams Drexel (15-7) and Albany (13-8) coming in on Oct. 13 and 20, respectively. Hofstra closes out the month with CAA opponents Delaware (8-12) on Oct. 25 and Towson (1-18) on Oct. 27 for Senior Day.

The Pride wrap up the regular season with conference road games at James Madison (11-8) on Nov. 1 and William and Mary (10-9) on Nov,. 3. The CAA Championship, featuring the top four teams from the regular season, will played at the site of the highest seed on Nov. 8 and 10.