Boswell Announces 2013 HPU Women’s Lacrosse Schedule

High Point University head coach Lyndsey Boswell announced the women’s lacrosse team’s 2013 schedule on Monday. The Panthers begin the regular season by hosting Virginia Tech and Florida Feb. 15 and 17, respectively. They play their first Big South game against Longwood on March 27.

High Point has seven first-time opponents on the schedule: American, Denver and Florida and first-year programs Campbell, Coastal Carolina and Winthrop. HPU is 14-4 all-time against its other nine opponents. The Panthers play three 2012 NCAA Tournament participants – Florida, Navy and North Carolina. The Gators reached the NCAA semifinals before bowing to Syracuse, 14-13, last May.

The season opener against the Hokies is Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. at Vert Stadium. Two days later, HPU faces the University of Florida in a 1 p.m. matchup at Vert Stadium.

The Panthers have two big road trips, facing Navy on Feb. 22 and American on Feb. 24 on the road before traveling west to play Oregon on March 2 and Denver on March 4. High Point hosts North Carolina on March 13 and plays at George Mason on March 23 before getting into its conference schedule.

The Panthers open Big South play with four-straight home games starting with Longwood on March 27. The Panthers host first-year programs Coastal Carolina on April 1 and Winthrop on April 5. The Panthers finish the home stand with Liberty on April 7. HPU plays its final three Big South games on the road at Davidson (April 12), at Campbell (April 15) and at Presbyterian (April 20). High Point hosts one final non-conference game vs. Ohio State on April 21.

The 2013 season will be the first time High Point is playing its conference tournament with an NCAA berth on the line. The Big South Tournament features semifinals on April 26 and the championship game on April 28, with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Big South Tournament will be hosted at the home of the No. 1 seed.

It’s the third season of High Point University women’s lacrosse. The Panthers posted identical 15-4 records in their first two years, winning the National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) Tournament in 2011 before winning the NLC regular season in 2012. The NLC dissolved after the 2012 season with the teams splitting into the Big South and Atlantic Sun conferences.

FULL SCHEDULE: http://highpointpanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=wlax