Defending national champion Maryland women’s lacrosse released its 2020 schedule Tuesday, featuring 11 games against teams that made last season’s NCAA tournament.
After compiling a 22-1 record in 2019, the young Terps squad will search for its 15th NCAA title in program history — and fifth in seven years.
“We are so excited to get back on the field and start our season,” coach Cathy Reese said in a release. “We are once again playing one of the toughest schedules in the country that will challenge our team and prepare us for the postseason. Our group has a lot of potential and will be incredibly exciting for our fans to watch.”
Maryland will start the season with a repeat of last year’s campaign, playing George Mason on Feb. 8, Florida on Feb.15 and North Carolina on Feb. 22.
[Read more: Maryland women’s lacrosse overcame its imperfections to win an NCAA title]
The match against the Gators will mark the home opener for the Terps as the team returns to the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. Last season, Reese’s squad played its home games at Maryland Stadium.
The Terps will move on to face Syracuse on Feb. 28 before returning for a three-game homestand, hosting Navy, Hofstra and Rutgers — their Big Ten opener.
Maryland will travel to Penn for a midweek game on March 17 before taking on Ohio State that weekend.
The Terps continue their season with another three-game homestand, hosting Northwestern — the only team to beat them in 2019 — 2018 national champion James Madison and San Diego State. The matchup with the Aztecs will be the first in school history.
Maryland will follow its homestand with road games against Big Ten foe Johns Hopkins and Princeton.
The Terps will finish their home schedule with battles against Penn State, which Maryland defeated twice last year, and Georgetown.
The final regular-season game will take the Terps on the road to play Michigan.
The Big Ten tournament will take place in Columbus, Ohio, from May 1 to May 3. The NCAA tournament will start May 8, culminating in the Final Four in Baltimore from May 22 through May 24.