Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg field hockey team and head coach Jenni Releford are thrilled to reveal the schedule of competitions for the 2026 season.

To kick off the new season, the Hornets will hit the road for a preseason scrimmage at Longwood on August 19 at noon. Lynchburg begins regular season contests with three neutral-site games in Winchester, Va., first against Johns Hopkins on September 1 at 4 p.m., followed by Thomas College on September 4 at 6 p.m. and Denison on September 6 at 11 a.m.

The Hornets will remain on the road for the next five outings. Lynchburg travels to Mary Washington on September 9 at 6 p.m. before a pair of weekend matchups in Pennsylvania against Ursinus on September 12 at noon and Dickinson on September 13 at 1 p.m. The road stretch continues against Bates on September 19 at 10:30 a.m. in Lewiston, Maine, followed by Southern Maine on September 20 at noon in Portland, Maine to cap the long road stretch.

Lynchburg's home opener is set for September 26 at noon against Rowan. The Hornets return to action the following day to host Sewanee at noon. The field hockey team begins conference play at Randolph-Macon on October 3 at 3:30 p.m. Lynchburg will then host Sweet Briar on October 6 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Bridgewater for a noon contest on October 10. The Hornets return home to face Virginia Wesleyan on October 17 at 11 a.m.

Lynchburg hits the road for three of its next four competitions, beginning at Roanoke on October 20 at 5 p.m. and Eastern Mennonite on October 24 at 1 p.m. The Hornets return home for their Code Red game against Washington and Lee on October 28 at 7 p.m. To close out the regular season, Lynchburg will welcome Shenandoah for Senior Day on October 31 at 1 p.m.

The ODAC postseason begins with the play-in game on November 3 and concludes with the championship match on November 7. All ODAC playoff competitions will take place at the higher seed's home site. The NCAA postseason is set to begin with the first round on November 11. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight are scheduled for November 14 and 15, respectively, before the NCAA Final Four on November 20 and the national championship on November 22 in Geneva, N.Y.

To view the complete 2026 schedule for the field hockey team, click here.

Last season, the Hornets earned their 23rd ODAC Championship title and booked their ticket to the NCAA postseason for the third consecutive year. Lynchburg had eight student-athletes named to All-ODAC teams and won two major awards: Anna Dorrestijn earned ODAC Offensive Player of the Year and Coach Releford was selected as the ODAC Coach of the Year. Five performers were selected to All-Region teams, and both Dorrestijn and Khanyisile Mzizi were honored as NFHCA All-Americans.

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