Third time’s a charm? Field hockey coach Shannon West hopes so.

As West begins her third season at the helm, she looks for the Billikens to be a factor in the Northern Pacific (NORPAC) conference.

“In terms of conference, we want to be more of a threat. We want to move up in the standings,” said West. “We want to work to the conference title and finish better.”

SLU’s schedule will provide the opportunity to test themselves against strong opponents.

“Our schedule is competitive and tough,” West said. “We’ll earn everything that we get. This is a challenge that we’re looking forward to. We want to come out strong and surprise some teams.”

The Billikens share their coach’s enthusiasm.

“We should have a good year,” said senior goalkeeper Erin Linehan. “We have good recruits in. We should definitely have a better year than last year.”

“We’ll continue to get better and progress. My personal goal for the team is to finish above .500 for the season,” said senior center halfback Heather Mattingly.

This season, NORPAC has a different look after breaking into two divisions, the East and West. SLU will play in the West division, along with California, Pacific and Stanford. The Billikens play each team twice. The East division consists of Southwest Missouri State, Davidson, Appalachian State and Radford.

“Playing Cal and Stanford twice will really help us,” West said. “It’s good for us within the conference. They’ll help us prepare better for the conference tournament.”

The Billikens open up the season on the road at Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 25.

“Iowa is a traditional powerhouse in field hockey. I’m really excited,” West said. “That game should give us some perspective to what we need to work for. We can work out the kinks now. We’ll benefit (from that game) when we start conference.”

“Iowa will be a good test and a good challenge,” Linehan said. “All our hardest games seem to be at the beginning of the year. This will be a good early test.”

After two more road games, the Billikens have their home opener on Sept. 6 against California at 2 p.m. That contest begins a six-game homestand for SLU. The Billikens will host California once and Pacific twice during that stretch.

SLU takes to the road again to face instate rival Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, Mo.

“SMS is our biggest rival,” West said. “That game is always physical and competitive. We’ve split with them the past two years. It’s a game that everyone gets fired up for.”

The Billikens return home for a single match against Lindenwood before a three-game swing in California. SLU faces the Cal Bears and the Stanford Cardinal on the trip. The Billikens return home for the final regular season against SMS.

“This will be a challenge for us. It can only help us by playing stronger teams,” Mattingly said. “It can only make us better.”

West looks for her seniors to lead the Billikens in the newly aligned NORPAC.

“It’s been great to see them develop over the past three years. Heather Mattingly is our strongest player,” West said. Mattingly started every match last season and recorded five points.

“Erin Linehan has developed into a good goalie. She has more confidence this year,” West said. Linehan appeared in 18 matches and notched a 2.63 goals against average and posted four shutouts.

“Keri Brunner is our biggest threat offensively for other teams to watch,” West said. Brunner started all 20 contests and recorded 24 points on 10 goals and four assists.

“Sue Albers and Kristin Burich add experience on the field. “Albers started 19 matches and notched nine points. Burich started 16 matches and scored 18 points.

West also anticipates the younger Billikens to add energy and make a substantial impact.

“Sophomore Lindsay Lombardo is in great physical condition. She has a year of experience of starting every game,” West said. “I expect freshman Ellen Rapp to have an immediate impact on our starting lineup and contribute a lot.”

Mattingly summed up the team’s ultimate goal. “We want to win the NORPAC. It would be good for the team to win the title now. It would be a great way for the seniors to finish their careers.”