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The Providence Friars are our ninth Division I team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the second team from the Big East. Last year was a historic season for the Friars, who won their first ever Big East tournament game, reached their first ever Big East Championship, and tied a program record with 10 wins.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Providence’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 1/27 | Providence | UMass | Scrimmage | |
| 2/3 | Providence | Boston University | 8-7 L/2OT | |
| 2/10 | Holy Cross | Providence | 10-4 W | |
| 2/17 | Bryant | Providence | Ocean State Cup | 7-6 W |
| 2/24 | St. Joe's | Providence | First meeting since 2009 (5-4 W/4OT); also former MAAC foes | |
| 3/3 | Providence | Sacred Heart | 10-8 L | |
| 3/6 | UMass Lowell | Providence | 11-4 W | |
| 3/10 | Harvard | Providence | First meeting since 2001 (8-4 L); never defeated Harvard in three games | |
| 3/17 | Hofstra | Providence | 11-10 L | |
| 3/25 | Providence | Drexel | 9-8 W/OT | |
| 3/31 | St. John's | Providence | Big East | 15-6 W |
| 4/7 | Providence | Georgetown | Big East | 13-7 W |
| 4/14 | Providence | Marquette | Big East | 9-7 W, 10-9 L |
| 4/17 | Providence | Brown | Ocean State Cup | 13-12 L/2OT |
| 4/21 | Denver | Providence | Big East | 12-2 L |
| 4/28 | Providence | Villanova | Big East | 15-7 L, 10-7 W |
There’s two changes from last year’s schedule. Gone are Vermont and High Point, and in comes St. Joe’s and Harvard. Head coach Chris Gabrielli commented that this year’s schedule is the toughest one in program history.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Non Conference Game: vs. Harvard
Last year, the Crimson were 6-7. They had some bright spots, such as starting the season 4-0 and beating Yale in the regular season finale, but they had numerous losses as well. But in those seven losses, all of them came within five goals, four of them came within three goals. They should be competitive in this meeting.
Best Conference Game: @ Marquette
Barring any surprises, both of these teams should be in the Big East Tournament come May. The only question is where would these two teams be seeded? The Friars were the No. 3 seed last year and Marquette was the fourth and final seed. They met twice, including in the Big East championship game, which was decided by just a goal.
Under The Radar Game: vs. St. John’s
The Red Storm flat out stunk last year. They had one win, and that barely happened against Siena. They’ve regressed from the previous year’s record for the past four seasons, and if they do it for a fifth straight year, that’ll mean exactly zero wins for the program. The team was kind of young last year, so with a year under their belts, St. John’s could start to make some noise this season.
Possible Upset: vs. UMass Lowell
UMass Lowell recorded the same amount of wins last year as they did in 2016, but the overall results showed the team was moving in the right direction. It’s their fourth year of existence, so does that mean the River Hawks are set for a breakout year? We’ll have to see. But if history proves itself to be right, the Friars should watch out.