Blue Devils Announce 2015 Women?s Lacrosse Schedule

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke women's lacrosse program will take part in 16 regular season contests this spring, including 10 against 2014 NCAA Tournament selections, as announced Monday, Dec. 8 by head coach Kerstin Kimel. The demanding slate features three of last year's NCAA semifinalists and 10 opponents who finished the 2014 season ranked among the top-20 teams in the country.

Kimel's squad is set to host nine contests at the newly-renovated Koskinen Stadium in 2015, including tilts against ACC opponents North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils' seven road contests are highlighted by inaugural trips to Elon and Louisville. The 2015 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship will be held at Virginia's Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., April 23-26.

“Our team and staff are excited to tackle the challenges that 2015 schedule will present,” Kimel said. “The strength of our ACC programs alone is just phenomenal. This coupled with our traditionally tough non-conference opponents makes for fantastic opportunities for this team to compete and grow throughout the coming season. We look forward to finishing the semester strong in the classroom, a restful and productive winter break and starting our pre-season in just a few weeks!”

After kicking off the spring with a scrimmage against Towson Jan. 31 in Durham, Duke will open the 2015 season on the road at Elon Feb. 7. The program's home opener at Koskinen Stadium is set for Feb. 13 against Richmond, followed by a Feb. 15 contest against Navy. The Blue Devils and the Mids will face off for just the third time in school history, with the last meeting coming in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Duke and Northwestern are set to square off for the 12th consecutive year Feb. 19 in Chicago before the squad returns to Durham to host a three-game homestand, beginning with a contest against William & Mary Feb. 22. The Blue Devils will welcome a pair of ACC opponents in Notre Dame March 1 and Virginia Tech March 6. Duke and Notre Dame met twice during the 2014 season, with the Fighting Irish winning the regular season matchup and the Blue Devils claiming a 10-8 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The team will then embark on a three-game road trip that includes stops at Georgetown March 11, Louisville March 14 and conference opponent Virginia March 21. Duke closes the month by hosting Syracuse at Koskinen Stadium for the first time March 28 and traveling to take on in-state opponent Davidson March 31.

The Blue Devils are slated to visit Boston College April 4 before returning home to clash with another 2014 NCAA Tournament squad in Ohio State April 9. Duke will then wrap up the ACC portion of its regular season schedule against Tobacco Road rival North Carolina April 17 in Durham. The last two meetings between the programs have gone into overtime, with the Blue Devils battling to a 7-6 victory last spring in the Tar Heels' Kenan Stadium.

After returning to Charlottesville for the ACC Tournament April 23-26, Duke will conclude the regular season and honor its senior class at home May 3 against Johns Hopkins.

Following a 2014 season that saw the Blue Devils compile an 11-8 ledger and reach the NCAA quarterfinals, Kimel's squad will be in pursuit of the program's 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this spring. Duke returns 25 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's team, including 2014 IWLCA All-American, All-South Region and All-ACC selection Kerrin Maurer and all-region and all-conference midfielder Taylor Trimble.

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	VENUE	TIME
Saturday, Jan. 31	Towson (Scrimmage)	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	11 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7	Elon	Elon, N.C.	Rudd Field	1 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13	Richmond	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	4 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15	Navy	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	1 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 19	Northwestern	Northbrook, Ill.	Accelerated Center	3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22	William & Mary	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	1 p.m.
Sunday, March 1	Notre Dame *	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	12 p.m.
Friday, March 6	Virginia Tech *	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	5 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11	Georgetown	Washington, D.C.	Multi-Sport Field	3 p.m.
Saturday, March 14	Louisville *	Louisville, Ky.	UofL Lacrosse Stadium	12 p.m.
Saturday, March 21	Virginia *	Charlottesville, Va.	Klöckner Stadium	1 p.m.
Saturday, March 28	Syracuse *	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31	Davidson	Davidson, N.C.	Richardson Stadium	6 p.m.
Saturday, April 4	Boston College *	Newton, Mass.	Newton Campus Lacrosse and Soccer Field	1 p.m.
Thursday, April 9	Ohio State	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	3 p.m.
Friday, April 17	North Carolina *	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	7 p.m.
Thurs-Sun, April 23-26	ACC Tournament	Charlottesville, Va.	Klöckner Stadium	TBA
Sunday, May 3	Johns Hopkins	Durham, N.C.	Koskinen Stadium	TBA