The Benedictine football team has unveiled its schedule for the 2013 season. It features five home games, two night games at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, and nine of the ten opponents the Eagles faced last season. All of Benedictine's ten scheduled games are Saturday contests.

 

Both home night games for BenU come right at the beginning of the schedule, as the team will kick-off the season in Lisle against Wheaton at 7:00 p.m. on September 7.  The Thunder, a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) school and national powerhouse, defeated the Eagles last year in the season opener.
 
"We struggled with them last year and anticipate a better performance this year," said Eagles Head Coach John Cooper. "This will be a good measuring stick of where we are at."
 
The second home night game comes one week later (September 14 at 7:00 p.m.) against North Park, a CCIW opponent that BenU is very familiar with. The Eagles and Vikings have squared off each of the past seven seasons, with the Benedictine winning four of those contests. However, North Park has a new Head Coach at the helm, so the Eagles could see a team with a completely different style of offense and defense. Last season, Benedictine defeated North Park on the road 30-22 behind three touchdown passes from quarterback Cyle Schultz.
 
BenU will open up the road portion of the schedule in Michigan against Kalamazoo on September 21 at noon. The Hornets, a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association School (MIAA), represents the lone opponent on the schedule the Eagles did not face in 2012. The game will be a part of the NACC/MIAA Challenge Series, as schools from both conferences will square off against each other the entire weekend.  The programs did square off back in 2010 and 2011, with Kalamazoo prevailing in both contests.
 
"Kalamazoo has featured a wide open passing attack and puts up a lot of offensive numbers," explained Cooper. "The non-conference schedule is tough and will prepare us for conference play."
 
After a weekend off, the Eagles will begin conference play in the renamed Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on October 5. Benedictine will travel to Concordia University-Wisconsin for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 6-0, and should be one of the conference favorites this season.
 
Homecoming will take place on October 12 when rival Aurora University comes to Lisle for a 1:00 p.m. start. The Eagles will be looking to avenge last year's road loss to the Spartans, who won the high-scoring affair 41-30.
 
The Eagles head back on the road to take on NACC foe Rockford College at 2:00 p.m. on October 19. BenU defeated Rockford 28-0 at home last season and holds a 5-0 record all-time against the Regents since joining the NACC.
 
On October 26, the Eagles will return home to take on Wisconsin Lutheran College at 1:00 p.m. The Warriors are the only NACC team who has defeated BenU in each of the past two seasons. They also have a new Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator this season.
 
Benedictine will take on last year's conference champion, Concordia University-Chicago, on November 2 in River Forest at 1:00 p.m. The Cougars finished 10-1 and 7-0 in conference play last season, losing in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs to Bethel 24-23. Benedictine is 42-29-4 all-time against the Cougars, and those 42 victories are the most BenU has against any school. Concordia-Chicago also has a new Head Coach at the helm this season.
 
The Eagles will play one last non-conference game against Maranatha Baptist Bible College on November 9. A former member of the NACC, Maranatha is 0-5 all-time against BenU. Game time is scheduled for noon.
 
Benedictine wraps up the regular season and conference schedule on November 16 at 1:00 p.m. at home against Lakeland. The Eagles finished last year's season against the Muskies as well, winning 28-3 on the road.
 
"It is exciting to play in the NACC, as we have seen the improvement in the conference the last few years and each week is a tough test," said Cooper. "We are looking forward to the challenges of the 2013 season."
 
Last season, the Eagles finished with a 5-5 record overall and 3-4 conference record.
 
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