Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Maryland
Field Hockey Opens 2026 Season Against Maryland
8/27/2026 11:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Match Info:
Friday, August 28th – 12:00 p.m.
Location: College Park, Md.
Big Ten+ | Live Stats
Social Media
@drexelfh | @DrexelDragons
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Drexel field hockey team is set to open the 2026 season against No. 13 Maryland on Friday. The Dragons will be competing in The Conference Cup, a four-team tournament taking place in College Park, MD. The four teams competing in the tournament are Drexel, Maryland, James Madison, and Temple. The Dragons will face Maryland on Friday followed by James Madison on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
About the Dragons
The Dragons are coming off their first CAA championship since 2012 as well as a NCAA tournament appearance. After starting the season 1-2 DU rallied to finish the season with a 13-8 record including an impressive 7-2 home record. The Dragons entered the CAA Tournament as the three seed before beating Northeastern and Monmouth on their way to winning the CAA championship. The Dragons are bringing back 19 players who saw action in the 2025 season. Valentine Van Hellemont and Pili Lemoine were tied for the team lead in goals and assists. Fleur Hamers headlined a strong freshman class finishing with four goals and five assists on the season.
Award Season
Valentine Van Hellemont, Pili Lemoine, and Fleur Hamers were named to the Preseason All-CAA team while teammates, Nicole Enslin, Florienne Bosdijk, Ava Trexler, and Cato Nackaerts were named as honorable mentions. Additionally, Van Hellemont was named the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Drexel was picked to finish second in the preseason poll with two first place votes finishing right behind Monmouth.
About the Opponents
This will be the 12th meeting between the Dragons and the Terrapins. The last meeting took place in 2024, where the Dragons took a 0-0 tie into the third period against the #4 ranked Terrapins before falling 2-0.
Drexel and James Madison will face off for the 26th time. The Dragons are 7-18 all time in the previous meetings between the two teams. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2021.
Up Next
The Dragons return to Buckley Field for the 2026 home opener against Long Island University on Friday September 4th, at 4:00 p.m.
