Home Sweet Holmes: An Abundance of Home Games Highlight Field Hockey's 2026 Schedule

LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell field hockey's 2026 schedule features a home-heavy slate with 11 of 15 games at the newly refurbished turf at Graham Field at Holmes Stadium. Two Power Four teams, Penn State and Syracuse, visit Lewisburg as the headliners of the action-packed slate. The Orange & Blue finished 10-7 overall and 4-2 in Patriot League play last season for the program's first double-win total since 2018.

The 11 home games are the most for Bucknell since the Bison hosted 13 in 2004. Holmes Stadium has been an imposing venue for opposing teams as Bucknell has gone 17-6 at home over the past three seasons.

The campaign opens with six straight home contests, including opening weekend games versus Ball State (Aug. 28) and Sacred Heart (Aug. 30). Bucknell owns a 2-0 record against Ball State and opened the 2025 season with a 2-1 win over Sacred Heart.

Next weekend sees Quinnipiac (Sept. 4) and Cornell (Sept. 6) venture into Lewisburg. Bucknell and Cornell renew their long rivalry, "The Battle of the Nells" for the 32nd time. The Bison narrowly lead the all-time series 17-14-1 and won the most recent duel 3-2 in overtime back in 2024.

Nationally ranked Syracuse travels to Bucknell on Sept. 13. The Bison defeated the Orange in 1987 for their only win in the series.

Patriot League play begins and the opening homestand ends on Sept. 18 when perennial conference powerhouse American enters Lewisburg for an early season showdown. Seven of the last eight games have been one-goal affairs.

The road schedule commences on Sept. 20 at Kent State. The two programs last met in 2023 resulting in a 2-1 Bucknell victory.

The final weekend in September features two paramount matchups when 2025 Patriot League tournament champion Boston U. (Sept. 26) and Route 45 Rival Penn State (Sept. 28) journey to Lewisburg. Bucknell smashed Boston 4-0 last year, ending the streak of 13 straight games of one-goal outcomes. The last three games between the Bison and Nittany Lions have been 2-1 results in PSU's favor.

Bucknell travels to Holy Cross (Oct. 3) for its third conference game. The all-time series is tied 20-20 but the Orange & Blue have won the last 15 of 16 games.

Lafayette heads to Bucknell for a Friday night showdown on Oct. 9. The conference rivals have played three consecutive 2-1 games, two of which occurred in the Patriot League Tournament, and all of which have been Leopard wins.

The fifth conference contest of 2026 involves a road date at Colgate (Oct. 16). The Bison have won the last 26 out of 28 games against the Raiders and Colgate hasn't tallied a goal since 2022.

On Oct. 18, Bucknell and La Salle renew a rivalry that has has been dormant since 2009. The two Keystone State schools had met every year from 1979-2004 except for 1996. The series temporarily resumed in a three-game series from 2007-2009 with Bucknell emerging victorious every year.

Conference play ends on Oct. 24 with a trip to Keystone Clash rival Lehigh. Bucknell has collapsed the Mountain Hawks' defensive walls, scoring 16 goals in the last three games.

The Susquehanna Showdown series versus Lock Haven concludes the regular season on Oct. 27. Lock Haven leads the series 27-14-2 but the Bison have won the last eight games.

The Patriot League Tournament starts on Nov. 5 with a pair of semifinals and the championship game is on Nov. 7. The number one seed will host the entire tournament. Bucknell has qualified 28 times, hosted once (2014), and won once (2020-21).

A comprehensive season preview will be released in the coming weeks.

Bucknell University Athletics

Home Sweet Holmes: An Abundance of Home Games Highlight Field Hockey's 2026 Schedule

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