Last week, Michigan Tech announced the addition of women’s soccer to its varsity athletic program. The addition, which is the first since Nordic skiing was added in 1989-90, will balance the number of men’s and women’s teams at seven apiece. The team will begin intercollegiate competition next fall as a member of the GLIAC. Long-time Michigan Tech donor Pat Nelson is funding all of the start-up costs, including equipment, locker room renovations and first-year coaching salaries.
“This is a great step for the University and the athletic department,” said Tech athletic director Suzanne Sanregret in last week’s Michigan Tech article. “It has been one of my goals since becoming athletic director to add women’s soccer. It’s an up-and-coming sport and a natural fit in the GLIAC.”
This year there are only eight women’s soccer programs in the GLIAC, but with the addition of Michigan Tech and the two upcoming GLIAC expansion schools – Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican – 11 of the 14 GLIAC schools will field a women’s soccer team next year.
Next year’s schedule is yet to be determined, but there will be around 15 GLIAC games with about half of them taking place at home on Sherman Field, which was set up for soccer during last year’s synthetic turf installation. Conflicts with football will be rare given that soccer games are generally played on Friday and Sunday, with practices taking place on both turf and grass, depending on the field surface of the upcoming game(s). There will be a few non-conference games as well. Games will start no earlier than August 26, and the postseason GLIAC tournament, which is played in early November, will be run much like basketball and volleyball, involving quarterfinals, semifinals and a final, with the highest seed hosting at their campus site.
The reaction across campus has been positive as well, particularly among the current women’s soccer club team, which faces an uncertain future in light of the addition as a varsity sport.
“With all of the press the addition of the women’s varsity soccer team received, it would be impossible to say that new interests have not been sparked,” said Kelsy Ryskamp, women’s soccer club president. “The women’s club soccer team often has trouble getting their name out to gain participation – now that the varsity team has been announced publically, I feel as though a lot of women will be anxious to be a part of this brand new program… I hope the club team will stay around because it is a great way for whoever wishes to be involved in soccer at Michigan Tech.”
“I hope they do very well, and I’m very sad I can’t be a part of it since I’m graduating,” said Michelle Murphy, who has been a member of the women’s soccer club for five years. “I’m very interested in who the coach will be and what ideas they have to bring to the table to build up a very strong team that can compete right away in our conference.”
Michigan Tech will officially post the head coaching job in late October or early November, with plans to bring in the coach and start implementing the program starting Jan. 1, 2010.
Stay tuned to the Michigan Tech Lode, both in print and online at mtulode.com for continuing coverage of this new varsity addition.