Renovating Rhodes Field

In the past, soccer has been something of an oversight at Penn.

The squads were mediocre and the field was one of the least fan-friendly venues in the Ivy League.

Rhodes Field, located in between I-76 and University City Station, is cramped, loud and not particularly attractive.

But in the past few years, something peculiar has occured.

Penn's soccer team have drastically improved and are now top contenders in the Ivy League.

In 2001, the Penn women's soccer team rallied in the waning weeks of the fall season to claim a share of its first-ever Ivy League title.

Lead by second-year coach Darren Ambrose, the Quakers shocked their Ancient Eight opponents with wins over Yale, Harvard, Brown, Columbia and Cornell.

The men's team notched its first Philadelphia Soccer 7 title in history and won two games in league play.

Perhaps as a reward to these improving teams, the Penn athletic department decided to improve Rhodes Field.

The new Rhodes Field soccer facility will have more of a stadium feel and fans will have a real place to sit -- instead of watching the games from old, worn out bleachers.

Rhodes Field will have elevated seating for 650 spectators.

The new facility will also have a press box and a sound system for announcing.

Both squads and their respective coaches are excited about the new facility.

Recently Penn men's head coach Rudy Fuller expressed his excitement to the Penn athletics department. He noted that Penn's soccer program, which has made drastic improvements as of late, deserves a new facility.

Demolition to make way for the facility began on June 25 and it appears that progress is being made.

However, the facility, which was set to open by the beginning of fall season, is still very much a work in progress.

The Penn women's team has its season home opener on Sep. 15 against Monmouth.

The men's squad opens its home season five days later when it plays host to the first-ever Penn Soccer Classic. The Quakers take on La Salle in the first of its two games in the round-robin style tournament.

The new Rhodes Field, which was made possible by alumni donations and friends of Penn soccer, aims to open for those home openers.

However, Penn athletics spokeswoman Carla Schulzburg was vague about when exactly the facility will open.

"We are excited about the new facility," she said "And we look forward to its completion this fall."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.