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Completed
in August, 2004, renovations to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium (formerly
the Mountaineer Soccer Complex) have made the home of men's and women's
soccer at West Virginia University one of the nation's finest facilities.
For the first time in its history, the stadium served as the host venue
for the 2007 BIG EAST women's soccer Championships, a conference title
won by the Mountaineers.
The stadium itself, named in honor of a generous gift on behalf of Mr.
Dlesk, is a two-level, 1,650-seat stadium that features grandstand bleachers,
a five booth press box, an on-site locker room, restrooms and concession
booths.
The women's team played the first-ever game in Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium
on Sept. 1, 2004, with redshirt freshman Natalie Cocchi scoring the facility's
first goal to lift the Mountaineers to a 1-0 shutout victory over Purdue.
The stadium was dedicated on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004, prior to the women's
match against Virginia and the men's match versus High Point .
Now four seasons old, the playing field at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is
a custom, natural grass surface. An extensive drainage and irrigation
system is also in place to prevent inclement weather from harming the
playing surface.
Conveniently located beside the Coliseum, Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium first
opened as the Mountaineer Soccer Complex in 1997. Since its inception,
the facility has seen many great achievements by both the men's and women's
soccer teams. The women's team played just its second season in team history
at the complex in 1997, posting a 7-2 home record.
Big wins for the women have come against Rutgers and Ohio State in 1997, Seton Hall
and Pitt in 1998 and Notre Dame in 2002, with perhaps the biggest coming
in November 2003 when the Mountaineers shutout Ohio State, 3-0, to advance
to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
West Virginia won its first postseason match ever with a 2-0 win over
Miami in the BIG EAST quarterfinals at the complex, and they also earned
their first NCAA tournament victory in November of 2002 with a 3-0 win
over Loyola (Md.).
Over the past six seasons, Dick Dlesk Stadium has been the site of the
quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST women's soccer tournament. It was the
site of the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament in mid-November
of 2002 and 2003 as well. West Virginia also hosted third round NCAA action
in 2003 and the men's team hosted NCAA second round action in 2006.
The men’s team opened the complex by posting winning seasons two
out of the complex’s first three years. During WVU’s first
full season at DDSS in 2004, the squad posted a solid 8-1-1 record at
home, including a win over No. 8 Notre Dame. In 2005, the men played host
to the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1973,
defeating Robert Morris 1-0 to advance to the second round.
The 2006
season was the most memorable for the men’s team thus far. The team
won 10 home games and knocked off No. 6 Notre Dame en route to winning
the BIG EAST regular season championship. West Virginia awarded a No.
6 seed in the NCAA tournament and hosted UNC-Greensboro in a second round
game at DDSS.
The 2007
team posted a 7-2 mark at home while knocking off top-ranked Connecticut,
1-0, on Oct. 19, in front of a capacity crowd. The Mountaineers also hosted
NCAA action and defeated Virginia, 1-0, at Dick Dlesk.
In 2007, the women's team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight and hosted
No. 8 seed USC at Dick Dlesk. A record crowd of 3,000 attended West Virginia
's game against the eventual national champions.
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