2024 Schedule

LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne has announced her 2024 schedule. The schedule is highlighted by the program's first-ever matchup against a Power-5 Conference opponent and six home games among the 15-game slate.
 
"When putting the 2024 schedule together, a primary goal was preparation for NEC play," said Coyne. "After last year's success, I thought the best way to move the program forward was a challenging out of conference schedule. Opponents that will expose our weaknesses so we can pinpoint those areas before conference play begins."
 
The Red Flash will open the season at the University of Oregon, a member of the Pac-12, on February 16. Along with it being the first match against major conference, it will be the second time the team will play on the West Coast after playing contests at Fresno State and Saint Mary's in California during the 2017 season. It will also the second time under Coyne and the 15th time overall the Loretto team has started a campaign on the road.
 
"We're very excited to play against the Ducks," said Coyne. "Traveling to Eugene will be an awesome opportunity for the team. It will also be fun to check out Oregon's facilities and get a glimpse of the training advantages they have. There's no doubt, we will approach competing against a Power-5 team with the same focus and intensity that it will take to win the NEC. We are in it to win it, but our real season goal is to win the NEC tournament. We will use the Oregon game to get better. The speed and quickness of a Pac-12 team will force us to level up our game.  When the time comes, we will be as prepared as possible."
 
After its trip against the Ducks, the Red Flash will return to the East Coast and travel to face first-year program Rider on February 22. It will be the 18th meeting against a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent and Saint Francis will be looking for its first win against the league since defeating Niagara 10-8 in 2011.
 
The 2024 home opener will be against a former Northeast Conference (NEC) foe when Robert Morris comes to DeGol Field for the 15th meeting in the series and the first since the 2019 season.
 
Returning to the road to complete a stretch of four road games of the first five on the schedule, the Red Flash travels to St. Bonaventure on March 5 and LIU to start league play on March 9. It will be the fourth meeting against the Bonnies dating back to the 2015 season with the Loretto program winning the last two games, but Saint Francis will be looking for its first win on the road in the series. The NEC lid-lifter will be the 20th meeting against the Sharks and will mark the third-straight year the two teams will square off in the inaugural league tilt of the year and the fourth time overall.
 
Saint Francis will have four of its first five games on the road for the first time since the 2019 season when the team was on the road for the first five matches. In the first 18 years of the program, the team was on the road for at least four of the first five games 10 times.
 
After playing four of its first five on the road, Saint Francis will be home for four of the next six games, starting with Kent State on March 13 and Merrimack on March 16. It will be the four meeting against the Golden Flashes since 2019 with the Red Flash holding a 3-1 edge including the only meeting in Ohio. Merrimack comes to town with series tied at 2 since the series started in 2021.
 
Two games in the New York area commences at Wagner on March 23 and at FDU on March 30. It will be the 21st meeting against Wagner and the second against FDU with the first-ever trip to Teaneck.
 
Returning home, the Red Flash will host Le Moyne on April 3 and CCSU on April 6. It will be the second-ever meeting against Le Moyne and the first since the 2010 campaign, but the first as an NEC contest with the Dolphins joining the league this season. It will be the 20th matchup against CCSU with Saint Francis winners of the last five contests.
 
The Red Flash will then hit the road for a three-game conference road trip at Delaware State (April 10), Sacred Heart (April 13) and Stonehill (April 20). The Loretto program has won all six tilts against Delaware State, but it will be the first game in the series since the Hornets joined the circuit as an associate member for women's lacrosse. It will be the 23rd time Saint Francis will tangle with Sacred Heart and the Red Flash will return to Fairfield where Saint Francis played its first-ever NEC Tournament game last season. The trip to Stonehill will be the first in program history and the second meeting in the series.
 
Saint Francis concludes the regular season at home against Howard on April 24. It will be the 14th meeting with the Bison and the second as a conference opponent with the Red Flash winners of the last six contests.
 
The Red Flash will be looking for its second-straight NEC Tournament appearance. This year, the tournament expands to six teams with seeds No. 3-6 playing in the quarterfinals at the higher seeds on April 28 and then the four remaining seeds playing at the NEC regular season champion on May 2 and 4.
 
"Coming off the first winning season in school history means the 2024 season will have a different feel to it. An unknown pressure.  The current upperclassmen have the benefit of playing with the confidence gained from past success.  There's no substitute for knowing how to win."
 
Saint Francis is coming off its first-ever winning season and trip to the NEC Tournament in program history after finishing 10-6 overall and 5-3 in league play. The Red Flash also captured two major end of the year awards and six All-NEC selections.