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VILLANOVA, Pa. – The 2026 slate for the Villanova women’s lacrosse team was unveiled on Friday, a 15-game schedule with eight home dates announced by head coach Jill Batcheller.
This season’s schedule features five repeat opponents in the non-conference in addition to the same six BIG EAST teams, as well as four teams not on last year’s slate: Towson (last played in 2001), Rutgers (former BIG EAST rival, last played in Batcheller’s first year 2022), Siena (last played in 2019) and Vermont (last played in 2024).
The Wildcats will look to build on a historic 2025 campaign which saw the first BIG EAST title game appearance in Villanova history as well as a league-high eight all-conference selections.
“The release of this year’s schedule marks the start of a new journey for our team,” Batcheller said. “We’ve built a slate that will test us, push us and ultimately prepare us for a competitive BIG EAST Conference. Our players are hungry and we can’t wait to compete.”
The season opener is one of three home appearances for the Wildcats in February, lifting the lid on the campaign with a Feb. 8 matchup against Towson for the first meeting between the programs since before any of these players were born.
The Wildcats will make a visit to oft-nationally ranked Navy the following week before returning home for bouts against Saint Joseph’s (Tuesday, Feb. 17) and Rutgers (Saturday, Feb. 21).
A three-game road swing follows with the ‘Cats set to visit each of Binghamton, Siena and Vermont between Feb. 28 and March 6.
Villanova then sandwiches its BIG EAST opener with a pair of non-conference contests, hosting Stony Brook on March 17, Xavier on the 21st and Stanford the following Saturday.
The rest of the opponents are all conference foes, starting with visits to Connecticut and Marquette in the same week to open April.
Denver and Georgetown follow on consecutive Saturdays (April 11 and 18), then the regular season finale sends the ‘Cats to Indianapolis for a tangling with Butler.
The 2026 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Tournament heads back to the Mile High City as the Denver Pioneers will host this year’s edition beginning on April 30.
Keep up with the Villanova University women’s lacrosse program through social media by following on X (@NovaWLAX) and Instagram (@novawlax) and ‘liking’ on Facebook (/NovaWLacrosse).
