The University of Delaware field hockey team looks to defend its NCAA national championship crown, but it will be no easy task given a challenging 2017 schedule.

This year's slate includes nine home games to be held at Fred P. Rullo Stadium and features four matchups against squads that ended their season ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.

UD, which returns seven starters from last year's national championship squad that went 23-2 overall, will open its season with a trip to Louisville for matchups against Indiana (Aug. 26) and the Cardinals (Aug. 27), the latter a rematch of last season's NCAA tournament first round game in which the Blue Hens defeated Louisville 1-0. 

The team will kick off home action on Sept. 1 against Dartmouth, followed by a match against Princeton on Sept. 3. The Blue Hens defeated the Tigers 3-2 to advance to the NCAA championship game. 

The Hens go on the road for three games, at Penn (Sept. 8) and at Liberty (Sept. 10) before taking on Penn State (Sept. 18) at the home of USA Field Hockey, The Nook, in Manheim, Pennsylvania.

UD will return to Rullo Stadium to face Albany (Sept. 22) and NCAA tournament final four participant Connecticut (Sept. 24) before taking on its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) competition of the year with a matchup at Drexel.

Home play will continue on Oct. 1 against Lafayette and another CAA matchup against James Madison (Oct. 8) before a quick two-game road trip at Saint Joseph's (Oct. 14) and at Columbia (Oct. 15).

The Blue Hens will finish the regular season with four straight conference matchups. The Hens host William and Mary (Oct. 20) and Towson (Oct. 22) before traveling to Hofstra (Oct. 27) and Northeastern (Oct. 29).

The CAA tournament semifinals will be played on Nov. 3 with the final occurring on Nov. 5, to be hosted by the conference's regular season champion. NCAA tournament first and second rounds will be played Nov. 10-12 at host schools with the NCAA Final Four starting Nov. 17 and the championship match set for Nov. 19 at Louisville.