New soccer complex ready to go

The Dakota County Technical College Blue Knights soccer teams have held home games in a number of places all over the south metro. Rosemount didn’t have a championship size field so the teams have had to play in other cities that have sanctioned fields.

That may be why the team traditionally hasn’t done as well at home as it would like, said head women’s and men’s soccer coach Cam Stoltz — it didn’t really have a home.

Starting this fall, though, the Blue Knights can play with pride in front of a home crowd on their own campus. The college and the city of Rosemount teamed up to build the Ames Soccer Complex at DCTC and men’s and women’s soccer teams will get a chance to play on the new fields this fall.

“We hope it will give us a home feel that we’ve been lacking,” said coach Cam Stoltz. “It’s been a vision of ours for a long time and it’s nice to see it come to fruition.”

The new complex features three full-size adult soccer fields that can be subdivided into six youth soccer fields. The city, which will run the fields, will use the complex for youth and teen programs. Ames Construction donated land work to make the project possible.

“The new soccer fields will not only take our program to the next level,” Stoltz said, “but our research shows that they will generate approximately 26,000 community visits per year. We now have the most modern and complete soccer facility at any small college in the upper Midwest.”

While the college will have some games on the championship field this fall, parks and recreation director Dan Schultz said the city will not open the complex to user groups until next spring to give the turf more time to establish.

Schultz added he’s excited the project is completed.

“It looks great,” he said.

The project helps everyone. It gives the Blue Knights teams a home field while providing much needed field space for the city. The city has tried for some time to increase the number of fields in the city.

“The opening of the soccer complex marks a great moment for the city of Rosemount and DCTC,” said Ron Thomas, DCTC president. “Having a state-of-the-art athletic and recreational facility offers tremendous opportunities for interaction between our college and the community. Ames Construction did a wonderful job and was a crucial link in making the project a success.”

Construction of the fields provided educational opportunities for several DCTC programs. Students in the college’s concrete and masonry program built a full-service concession stand with a press box over the summer, led by instructor Paul Geisler.

In compliance with the school’s efforts to go green, the complex will also have a solar panel station that will help provide electrical power. The masonry students also built the base for the station.

Landscape horticulture instructor Jeff Kleinboehl applied his expertise to the professional landscaping around the concession stand, which used a range of plant material transplanted from the front of the college, according to a DCTC news release.

On Sept. 8, both teams will face the Iowa Western Community College Reivers on the championship field. There will also be a dedication ceremony to open the fields.

The men will play at 2 p.m and the women at 4:05 p.m. The dedication ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. and free hot dogs and chips will be served afterwards.

The event is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to bring nonperishable food items for collection at main gate. Phi Theta Kappa volunteers will be present as part of the Phi Theta Kappa initiative, “Feed a Body, Feed a Mind.”

Tags: dakota county technical college, sports, soccer, complex