UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Field Hockey program, under the direction of head coach Hannah Prince, in her inaugural season at the helm, has announced its 2026 schedule.
"Penn State Field Hockey is entering a new era, and our 2026 schedule reflects that direction,” said Prince. “This is a demanding slate from start to finish, with a Big Ten schedule that continues to represent one of the most competitive conferences in the country, alongside a strong non-conference lineup that will challenge us early and throughout the season. There are no easy matches, every opponent will push us, and that is exactly what we want as we continue to build and elevate this program. We are incredibly excited about the group we have, the standard we are setting, and the opportunity to begin this journey together when we return to the field in August."
The Nittany Lions will play 17 regular season games throughout the fall including 10 games being played at home on the Char Morett-Curtiss Field at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Of Penn State’s 17 opponents, five of them competed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including both the NCAA Champion and NCAA Runner Up, and will face seven teams with a top-20 RPI. Prior to the start of the regular season, the Nittany Lions will compete in scrimmages versus Bucknell on August 18 and at Penn on August 22.
Penn State will open the regular season and home slate with a pair of non-conference games against Virginia on Friday, August 28 and intrastate opponent Lock Haven on Sunday, August 30. The next weekend will see Penn State once again at home versus Villanova on Friday, September 4 before the team’s road opener at Delaware on Sunday, September 6. The Nittany Lions will have another home game the following weekend against NCAA Runner Up Princeton on September 13.
The Nittany Lions open up the conference slate on September 17 when the Blue and White welcome Maryland to University Park before moving on to play Monmouth in New Jersey on September 20. Penn State will stay on the road for a quick trip down I-80 to take on Bucknell on September 20 and head back into New Jersey to face another Big Ten opponent in Rutgers on October 2. After the three-game road trip, the Nittany Lions head back to the Penn State Field Hockey Complex and welcome the Lafayette College Leopards on October 4.
The Blue and White then begin a weekend road trip by first traveling to East Lansing to compete against the Michigan State Spartans on October 9 and head directly to Kent, Ohio to take on Kent State on October 11. Penn State will spend the next weekend at home hosting Ohio State on October 16 and Michigan on October 18 before closing out the final two games on the road against Indiana on October 23 and Iowa on October 25. The Nittany Lions will host reigning national champions Northwestern for the home and regular season finale on October 30.
Ohio State will host the Big Ten Tournament from November 5-8. The NCAA Tournament will begin on November 13 with the first two rounds being hosted by the higher seed with the Final Four hosted by Louisville starting on November 20.
2026 SCHEDULE (Dates and times are subject to change)
Tuesday, August 18 vs Bucknell - 12 p.m. (scrimmage)
Saturday, August 22 at Penn - 1 p.m. (scrimmage)
Friday, August 28 vs Virginia – 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 30 vs Lock Haven – 12 p.m.
Friday, September 4 vs Villanova – 3 p.m.
Sunday, September 6 at Delaware – 12 p.m.
Sunday, September 13 vs Princeton – 12 p.m.
Thursday, September 17 vs Maryland – 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 20 at Monmouth – 12 p.m.
Monday, September 28 at Bucknell – 6 p.m.
Friday, October 2 at Rutgers – 3 p.m.
Sunday, October 4 vs Lafayette – 1 p.m.
Friday, October 9 at Michigan State – 3 p.m.
Sunday, October 11 at Kent State – 12 p.m.
Friday, October 16 vs Ohio State – 5 p.m.
Sunday, October 18 vs Michigan – 12 p.m.
Friday, October 23 at Indiana – 3 p.m.
Sunday, October 25 at Iowa – 12 p.m.
Friday, October 30 vs Northwestern – 3 p.m.
Wednesday thru. Sunday, November 5-8 Big Ten Tournament (Hosted by Ohio State)
Friday thru. Sunday, November 13-15 NCAA First and Second Round (Hosted by seeded schools)
Friday thru. Sunday, November 20-22 NCAA Final Four (Hosted by Louisville)