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Warriors set to finally open new stadium
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Gabriel Bolton remembers the old days, when his Cal State Stanislaus women’s soccer team played on a less-than-stellar field. It had a beatup scoreboard and was infested with gophers that dug dangerous holes when his players weren’t storming the ground.
Those worries are no more. The Warriors will unveil their new Warrior Stadium with exhibition games against Dominican on Sunday, starting with the men’s contest at 4:30 p.m. followed by the women at 7 p.m. The state-of-the-art facility features stadium lights, 2,100-seating capacity, locker rooms, rest rooms and a press box and presidential suite, as this dreamland is located on the corner of Christoffersen Parkway and Geer Road.
The construction for the project began in November 2006.
“It’s one of the premier facilities in the country,” said Bolton, who has coached at the Division I level with various programs. “To have a facility like that at our university for our men’s and women’s soccer teams, it’s a blessing.
“This really changes the game for us.”
Last season, the Warriors played at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex, which was definitely an upgrade from season after season spent on a poor-looking, occasionally dangerous field that was on the same ground as Warrior Stadium. And now, they get another upgrade.
Warrior Stadium is one of the major highlights from the $16.1 million Student Recreation Complex that also boats a fitness center and practice field. The stadium is perhaps the final piece of the soccer program, as it is a recruiting tool. Not that the Warriors weren’t successful before.
The women are coming off another winning season in which they set a number of school records, while reaching national prominence. The men have Dana Taylor, the new coach from Oregon State who is expected to direct the Warriors to a national championship.
And Taylor can’t wait to get things going.
“We’re looking forward to playing an opponent instead of ourselves in practice to show what we need to work on before the start of the season,” he said.
Warrior Stadium will also be the site of a major event in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament Championships to be held Nov. 6-8.
To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.