NEWARK, Del. - - Looking to get back into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament, second year head coach Jackie Trainer will have to lead the Wilmington University women's lacrosse team in a new formatted CACC, as the Wildcats released its 2013 schedule.
The CACC heads into its first year of divisional play with each team playing divisional opponents twice a year and out of division opponents once. Much like volleyball and basketball inside the conference, the Wildcats landed in the South Division, along with Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill and Holy Family. The North Division consists of Dominican, Georgian Court, Post and first year program Nyack.
The Wildcats will look to be one of the top two teams in the South Division to advance to the CACC Tournament which will be played at Georgian court University in Lakewood, N.J.
On top of the new conference format, the Wildcats have the opportunity to play on their new turf field at the WU Athletics Complex for the first time this season. The new turf field, which debuted with the men's and women's soccer teams this fall, is a facility the Wildcats can directly call theirs for the first time in program history.
Wilmington has little to get in game mode before debuting the 2013 team to its home crowd as the season opener will be held at the new facility on February 23 against St. Thomas Aquinas. The Wildcats then hit the road for their next five nonconference matchups, including playing Dowling who ended last season ranked No. 10 on the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division II Poll. They will also head to Mercy and Millersville before playing Queens (N.C.) and Pfeiffer in a play weekend at Arundel Community College in Annapolis, Md.
The CACC schedule opens with back-to-back home contests against highly regarded conference opponents. Holy Family, the defending CACC Tournament Champions, comes to Newark on March 20 before Georgian Court, CACC Tournament Runner-ups, comes to town on March 23. Holy Family knocked the Wildcats out of the playoffs last season with a 15-10 semifinal victory.
The team will head to Chestnut Hill on March 26 for its first CACC road contest of the year before returning to the WU Athletics Complex for a three-game home stand. The Wildcats will square off against Philadelphia, Nyack and Chestnut Hill during the stretch, with the contest against Chestnut Hill being the final home game of the season.
Wilmington will then take to the road for the remainder of the 2013 schedule, facing Holy Family, Dominican, Philadelphia, Post and a final nonconference contest against NCAA Division I in-state foe Delaware State on April 23.
The CACC Tournament begins on April 27 with the semifinals at the GCU Lacrosse Complex.