We’re less than two months from Penn State lacrosse, folks.

Penn State women’s lacrosse announced its 2023 schedule on Thursday, including 16 games and nine matches at home.

Head coach Missy Doherty’s side will open the regular season at home against Bucknell at noon on Saturday, February 11. The Bisons will be the first of six non-conference opponents to challenge the Nittany Lions before getting into Big Ten play.

Two of those first six teams reached the 2022 NCAA tournament and should prove to be competitive matches for Penn State. Drexel was eliminated in the first round of the tournament, while Loyola Maryland reached the quarterfinals.

Then, Penn State will open its conference slate against Rutgers on March 11 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Scarlet Knights finished No. 9 in the NCAA rankings at the end of last season.

Three teams break up the Nittany Lions’ matchup against Rutgers with the rest of their Big Ten season, including Towson, Princeton, and Pitt.

Of the six Big Ten opponents that the Nittany Lions will face this season, all but Ohio State reached the NCAA tournament. Maryland had the best finish of any team in the conference, reaching the semifinals before a loss to Boston College.

The full 2023 schedule is listed below, with Big Ten matchups marked by an asterisk.

• February 7: @ Penn (scrimmage)
• February 11: vs. Bucknell
• February 18: vs. Drexel
• February 21: vs. Duquesne
• February 24: vs. Arizona State
• March 4: vs. Loyola Maryland
• March 8: @ Vanderbilt
• March 11: @ Rutgers* (in Nashville, Tennessee)
• March 14: vs. Towson
• March 18: @ Princeton
• March 21: @ Pittsburgh
• March 25: vs. Ohio State*
• March 30: @ Northwestern*
• April 2: vs. Cornell
• April 8: @ Michigan*
• April 13: vs. Maryland*
• April 22: @ Johns Hopkins*

Should the Nittany Lions advance this far, the Big Ten semifinals will be held on April 29 with the conference final to follow on May 6.