CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina field hockey team will play at least 11 games on its home field at Francis E. Henry Stadium in the fall of 2006, when the Tar Heels are set to host both the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Carolina opens its typically-tough schedule on Aug. 26 against Michigan, the season's first opponent for the fifth year in a row.

"We're excited to play another challenging schedule and we're delighted that it includes so many home games," said UNC coach Karen Shelton in announcing her squad's 2006 schedule. "Two of the premier events in the country - the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and the ACC Championship - will be at Henry Stadium. That's great for our program as well as for our fans."

The Tar Heels and Wolverines meet on Aug. 26 at noon to kick off the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, with Iowa and Wake Forest facing off at 2:30 p.m. in the tournament's second game. The teams will switch opponents on Aug. 27, with UNC and Iowa facing off at noon, followed by Wake vs. Michigan.

Also coming to Chapel Hill are conference rivals Virginia (Sept. 17) and Wake Forest (Sept. 30), as well as nonconference opponents Davidson (Sept. 5), Old Dominion (Sept. 16), Albany (Sept. 24), Appalachian State (Sept. 27), William & Mary (Oct. 1) and Radford (Oct. 29). The Tar Heels will make trips to James Madison, West Chester, Duke, Boston College, Penn State, Maryland and Old Dominion and will face two teams at neutral sites, Villanova in West Chester, Pa., and Yale in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The schedule includes 10 games against teams that were ranked in the top 15 in the final national poll of the 2005 season, including matchups with each of the top four teams in the rankings. UNC, which finished last year with a record of 14-7, was fifth in the last 2005 poll, which is released each year before the start of the NCAA Tournament.

The ACC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 2, 3 and 5 in Chapel Hill. This marks the first time since 2001 that UNC has hosted the event.