VILLANOVA, Pa.—The schedule for the 53^rd season of Villanova field hockey is out and the Wildcats are slated to play 10 games on their home turf at the Conshohocken Proving Grounds this Fall. Head coach Joanie Milhous and her squad open the 2024 season on August 30 with the program's first ever road game against James Madison, then return home to begin a three-game homestand on September 1 with a contest against Sacred Heart. The full 17-game regular season schedule features six matchups against teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament.
 
Villanova's early-season slate is an intriguing one, beginning with the matchup against JMU on August 30 which will be the season opener for both teams. The schools have met just four times previously, although the Wildcats tallied a thrilling win at home last season when they twice overcame second-half deficits in an eventual 5-4 overtime triumph. Villanova will travel to Harrisonburg, Va. this season for the first time.
 
The home opener against Sacred Heart on Sunday, September 1 at 12 p.m. will be the first meeting between the teams since the Wildcats defeated the Pioneers, 3-2, on the same date in the 2019 season opener. That contest was the first win for Villanova in five meetings in the series. The homestand continues Friday, September 6 when the Wildcats host Drexel for a 5 p.m. contest. It will be the earliest in the season that the teams have faced each other since 2007. Villanova adds a new opponent to its all-time series records on Monday, September 9 at 5 p.m. when it hosts Mercyhurst for the first-ever meeting between the teams.
 
The middle of September features back-to-back games against longtime Philly foes. Villanova visits Saint Joseph's on Friday, September 13 at 3 p.m. for the first meeting against the Hawks since 2017, then returns home to host La Salle on Monday, September 16 for a 5 p.m. matchup. The Wildcats have played, and beaten, the Explorers more times than any other opponent and lead the series by a 37-8-1 margin.
 
BIG EAST play begins on Friday, September 20 when Villanova hosts Georgetown for a 3 p.m. contest at the Proving Grounds. That game will be followed by another highlight of the non-conference schedule as the Wildcats travel to William & Mary on Sunday, September 22 for a 12 p.m. game. The teams have played each other on just seven previous occasions and will be meeting for the first time in 20 years.
 
Two home games close out the September schedule, first on Friday, September 27 when the Wildcats take on Quinnipiac at 1 p.m. in their second conference game and then on Sunday, September 29 when Villanova hosts Big Ten member Iowa at 12 p.m. in just the second-ever meeting between the teams. The Wildcats won the only previous matchup in 2006 on a neutral field in the Vonnie Gros Classic at West Chester.
 
One of the highlights of the 2023 season was a thrilling Villanova victory over Connecticut at the Proving Grounds. ­This year the Wildcats travel to Storrs and take on the Huskies on Friday, October 4 in a 1 p.m. contest. That weekend features a pair of road games and Villanova will also pay a visit to Penn on Sunday, October 6 for a 12 p.m. matchup. Four of the last five games between the longtime Philly rivals have been decided by a single goal, with the Wildcats defeating the Quakers each of the last two seasons.
 
Four of the last five games of the regular season are BIG EAST matchups. Villanova hosts Liberty on Friday, October 11 at 1 p.m. and has the rest of that weekend idle before returning to action with a road game against Old Dominion on Friday, October 18 at 3 p.m. Each of those teams played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
 
Villanova hosts Temple on Friday, October 25 at 1 p.m. and then plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Sunday, October 27 at 12 p.m. against Fairfield. The final game on the regular season schedule is a road matchup against Providence on Friday, November 1 at 3 p.m.
 
The top four teams in the BIG EAST standings at the end of the regular season will play in the conference championship on Friday, November 8 and Sunday, November 10.