West Chester Reveals 2015 Football Schedule; Top 15 Clash With Lenoir-Rhyne Leads Off

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Chester University announced its 2015 football schedule.
 
The 94th season of West Chester University football gets under way Thursday, Sept. 3 at home with a non-conference clash between a pair of Top 15 opponents from 2014 as Lenoir-Rhyne, who was ranked No. 8 in the final AFCA Coaches' Poll this past fall, visits John A. Farrell Stadium for a showdown with the Golden Rams, who were ranked 15th in the country at the end of the year by the same organization.
 
Both squads reached NCAA II Playoffs a year ago. The Bears sported an 11-1 record in 2014, after finishing the regular season undefeated, while the Golden Rams closed out the 2014 campaign at 11-2. Both teams reached the second round of the NCAA II Playoffs a year ago. The game is also a rematch of the 2013 NCAA Division II semifinal matchup won by Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C.
 
"We feel extremely fortunate to get such a high-caliber opponent on our schedule," West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan said. "I think it will serve as a measuring stick for our team in terms of where we stand nationally. (Lenoir-Rhyne's) style of offense provides many challenges. It will be interesting to see how well our kids prepare."
 
The 2015 schedule includes 11 regular-season contests over a span of 73 days and incorporates six home dates. West Chester will conclude the regular-season with back-to-back home games, marking the only time during the slate that the Rams are scheduled to play consecutive weeks at Farrell Stadium. The final weekend of the regular season, West Chester will host either Indiana (Pa.), or the 2015 PSAC Championship Game, if WCU finishes in first place in the PSAC Eastern Division standings.
 
Following the season opener against South Atlantic Conference champion Lenoir-Rhyne, West Chester hits the road for Erie, Pa., and a date with PSAC West rival Mercyhurst on Saturday, Sept. 12. The following weekend, the Golden Rams return home on Family Weekend and Hall of Fame Day for a 12 p.m. kickoff against fellow PSAC West opponent Seton Hill. The WCU Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome its new members into its hallowed halls that day.
 
On Saturday, Sept. 26, West Chester begins its slate versus Eastern Division opposition with a trip to Millersville University. The Rams' two-game road trip continues the first week in October with a date at Lock Haven University. It is the only time in 2015 that West Chester will play consecutive games away from home.
 
Kutztown University comes calling to Farrell Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. with a journey to Shippensburg University looming the following weekend on Oct. 17.
 
Oct. 24 will be Homecoming Weekend at West Chester University and PSAC East rival Bloomsburg will be in town for a 2 p.m. kickoff with the Golden Rams. WCU closes out its October set with a road trip to Cheyney on Halloween.
 
The curtain draws on the month of November with a home date against East Stroudsburg University on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The following weekend will be IUP, or the PSAC Championship Game on Nov. 14.
 
West Chester University sports a record of 24-4 over the last two gridiron campaigns and is one of the top three all-time winningest football programs in NCAA Division II history. West Chester won its 600th game with its win over Slippery Rock in the first round of the 2014 NCAA II Playoffs a year ago.
 
West Chester has reached the NCAA II Playoffs 11 times, authoring a 9-11 mark in those postseason games. The Golden Rams have twice reached the national semifinals (2004, 2013) and are tied for 11th most postseason appearances in Division II history.
 
2015 Schedule
SEPTEMBER
                Thursday             9/3                         Lenoir-Rhyne                                           6:00 p.m.
                Saturday              9/12                       @ Mercyhurst                                            TBA
                Saturday              9/19                       Seton Hill                                                1:00 p.m.
                                                                                  (Hall of Fame/Family Day)                      
                Saturday              9/26                       @ Millersville                                              TBA
                                                               
OCTOBER
                Saturday              10/3                       @ Lock Haven                                            TBA
                Saturday              10/10                     Kutztown                                                 1:00 p.m.            
                Saturday              10/17                     @ Shippensburg                                         TBA
                Saturday              10/24                      Bloomsburg                                            2:00 p.m.
                                                                                  (Homecoming)
                Saturday              10/31                     @ Cheyney                                                TBA
 
NOVEMBER                                       
                Saturday              11/7                       East Stroudsburg                                    1:00 p.m.
                Saturday              11/14                     IUP (or PSAC Championship)                 12:00 p.m.
                Saturday              11/21                     NCAA II First Round                                  TBA
                Saturday              11/28                     NCAA II Second Round                              TBA
 
DECEMBER
                Saturday              12/5                       Super Region 1 Championship                   TBA
                Saturday              12/12                     NCAA II Semifinals                                    TBA
                Saturday              12/19                     NCAA II National Championship Game        TBA