GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team will open its campaign in unique fashion by hosting the Wales National Team in an exhibition at Clark Field on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 3:30 p.m.

The defending NCAA Division III champions will entertain a Welsh squad beginning its preparations for the 2014 World Cup. The Welsh have put together a competitive schedule against United States collegiate competition including the University of Delaware, Longwood University, and Mt. St. Mary's University.

This won't be the first meeting between the Bullets and an international squad. As recently as 2009, the team has faced competition from outside of the United States. That year, Gettysburg welcomed a team from Nihon University in Japan to Clark Field.

Gettysburg's preseason schedule will also include a day of competition against a pair of NCAA Division II institutions in Shippensburg University and Lock Haven University. The Bullets will square off with the two squads on Clark Field on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m.

Under the guidance of Head Coach Carol Cantele '83, the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III Coach of the Year, Gettysburg captured its first NCAA title in 2011. The Bullets finished with a 19-4 overall record and capped the year with a 16-5 victory over Bowdoin College in the national championship. Gettysburg has been tagged the nation's top-ranked team in preseason polls conducted by Lacrosse Magazine and the IWLCA.

The Bullets officially begin the defense of their national title on Feb. 23 when the team travels to the University of Mary Washington. That contest is slated to start at 4 p.m.