PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle field hockey squads looks to open the 2013 season with a bang on Friday as the Explorers travel to Long Island to compete in the Asics Invitational at Hofstra University.

The Explorers will play two games, including a match against host Hofstra on Friday at 11:30 am, followed by a game on Sunday against either Syracuse or Quinnipiac at 11:30 am or 2 pm.

Although the squad will miss the contributions of graduated Atlantic 10 All-Conference picks Rebecca Chylack and Neelam Kumar, the Explorers have a lot of optimism heading into the 2013 campaign. The team returns last year's top three scorers, including leading scorer and Second Team All A-10 pick Olivia Shoemaker. Shoemaker registered 19 points last season. She was tied for eighth in the Atlantic 10 with nine goals and tied for fourth with three game winners.

Mariel Papa and Colleen Kempf, who were second and third respectively on last year's squad, also return. Papa contributed 14 points on six goals and two assists, while Kempf added 12 points on five goals and two assists.

Junior Maddy Tettelbach looks to anchor the midfield along with sophomore Juliana Carfagno. Tettelbach adds an extra scoring option after chipping in two goals and setting up four others last season. Newcomers Judith Sweere and Devin Muracco will also provide a spark to what Head Coach Michelle Marks considers a very versatile midfield.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lisa Shaffer will spear the La Salle defense, along with the backfield of Jessica Deaner, Heather Barretta, Olivia Leaman and Jenica Miller. Shaffer, who sported a 2.76 goals against average in 2012, was tied for first in the Atlantic 10 with 135 saves and ranked second in the league with five shutouts. Leaman was tied for first in the A-10 last season with four defensive saves, and the trio of Deaner, Barretta and Miller also bring experience and depth.

Marks put together a challenging nonconference schedule for her squad that will prepare the Explorers for a tough Atlantic 10 season. The nonconference schedule features two opponents ranked in the preseason NFHCA poll, including a potential match against No. 5 and 2012 Final Four participant Syracuse at the Asics Invitational as well as a game at No. 15 Northeastern. The team also travels to Rutgers, Sacred Heart, Fairfield, Penn and Bryant, while hosting UMass-Lowell, Pacific, Liberty and Lehigh.

The Explorers were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10, and look to be in contention to qualify for the four-team Atlantic 10 Championship (Nov. 8-9 at Massachusetts). The A-10 has a solid core of teams, including UMass which is ranked 14th in the NFHCA preseason poll. Richmond was picked second, followed by VCU, Lock Haven, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, league newcomer St. Francis, and Saint Louis.

The league schedule opens on Friday, Oct. 11, when the Explorers host city rival Saint Joseph's.