August 13, 2008

Women's Soccer Coming in Fall of 2009

17th Intercollegiate Sport; Head Coach to Be Hired by December

Interested Student-Athletes Can Fill Out a Soccer Questionnaire HERE

      Kearney, Neb. –  The Nebraska-Kearney athletic department announced today that women’s soccer will be added as an intercollegiate sport in the fall of 2009.

      The soccer team will play its home games at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field. UNK will become the 11th school in the RMAC to sponsor women’s soccer (see complete list below).

       UNK will advertise the head coaching position this fall with an aim to have a person hired for the position by December. The team will then have its first game in late August/early September 2009.

      “We look forward to bringing in a top-notch soccer coach who will work closely with the Kearney and Central Nebraska soccer communities to build upon the existing interest level and then grow the sport,” said UNK Athletic Director Jon McBride. “We have been impressed by the grass roots support that currently exists for soccer and we are definitely encouraged about this sports’ potential.”

       The Division II collegiate regular season runs from August to early November with the NCAA Championships running from the second week of November to early December. 

       RMAC-member Metro State won Division II titles in 2004 and 2006 with Nebraska-Omaha claiming the title in 2005. Last season, 225 Division II schools sponsored women’s soccer with the University of Tampa winning its first-ever national championship. 

        Besides UNO, other area schools that sponsor women’s soccer include Wayne State, Missouri Western State, NW Missouri State and nearly all of Nebraska’s NAIA institutions.

        "I believe that women's soccer will be a wonderful addition to UNK in general, and to our athletic program in particular.  It will increase opportunities for women who wish to participate in university athletics, it will increase opportunities for fan participation, and it is a program that has been requested repeatedly by our student body,” said UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, pictured above right with McBride. “It is a win-win-win proposition.  I am grateful to Jon McBride and his staff for turning a vision into reality, and am very excited about what the future holds."

         School officials expect the Loper women’s soccer program, with an annual budget of approximately $120,000, to be financially self-sustaining through a combination of resources, including private donations, newly established student activity fees and program revenue.

         “We anticipate UNK women's soccer to be extremely popular right from the first kick.  Soccer was the only championship sport sponsored by the NSAA (Nebraska School Activities Association) not previously offered by UNK.  Many of the top feeder high schools to UNK already have girl’s soccer programs.  It's a championship sport sponsored by the RMAC.  So, it just makes a lot of sense to add this sport at this time,” said McBride.

           Finally, McBride noted that there are no present plans to add men’s soccer or any other sports.

 Intercollegiate Sports Now Offered by UNK

Men’s                                                    Women’s

Baseball                                                Basketball

Basketball                                             Cross Country

Cross Country                                        Golf

Football                                                 Tennis

Golf                                                       Track (Indoor & Outdoor)

Tennis                                                   Soccer

Track (Indoor & Outdoor)                         Softball

Wrestling                                               Swimming & Diving

                                                             Volleyball

RMAC Schools that Currently Sponsor Women’s Soccer

Adams State

Colorado Christian

Colorado-Colorado Springs (Will field a team for the first time in the fall of 2008)

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State-Pueblo

Fort Lewis

Mesa State

Metro State

New Mexico Highlands

Regis

Cope Stadium: Home Loper Women's Soccer & Loper Football