The $1.3 million spent on the new Lessing Field wasn’t enough to prevent a sod deficiency that has caused the Stags to cease competition on the new field this fall.
After just two games played on the new field, portions of the sod have begun to lift up and break apart from the surface, causing concern for both player safety and permanent damage to the field itself.
“It’s kind of typical when you build something. You always wind up with things that don’t necessarily turn out right for one reason or another,” said Director of Athletics Eugene Doris. “The bottom line is the likelihood of us using the field in the fall is not going to happen.”
Before the scheduled opening of Lessing Field, there was concern by the athletic department if the field would be ready in time. The university didn’t officially accept the field until just days before the men’s soccer team was to open the stadium on Sept. 18.
“Certain standards haven’t yet been met,” Doris said the week prior to the scheduled opening of the stadium, which raises the question whether the field was in fact suitable for play or if the university expedited its decision in order to open the field on time.
However, Project Manager Walter Stapleton in the office of Campus Operations didn’t feel that was the case.
“It’s just one of those things that happened,” Stapleton said. “I don’t think it’s an issue of anything getting rushed. There are just a few normal punch list items that need to be addressed.”
Among these “punch list items,” other than the difficulty with the sod, are the problems with raised sprinkler heads, raised drains as well as low spots in certain areas of the field, according to Doris.
These minor problems further support the theory that the university hastily made the decision to open the field. However, Stapleton again said that wasn’t the case.
“The first we heard of those problems was just last week by the athletic department,” Stapleton said.
The field’s biggest problem is with the sod, which was brought to the attention of the athletic department by Green Giant, the company that maintains the field, following the women’s soccer team’s game against St. Joseph’s on Sept. 20.
According to Doris, the use of certain chemicals will most likely cure the problem. But he admitted the worst-case scenario would include completely replacing the damaged sod. In either case, Doris said the field would not be suitable for play until after the fall season has concluded.
“Its disappointing for us and the team to not be able to use the field. It’s a great field and it played great the one game we had on it,” said women’s soccer head coach Maria Piechocki. “There were two instances during the game that portions of the sod came up. But the players were happy with the way the field played overall.”
Doris agreed that the situation is disappointing, but would rather correct the problems now rather than suffer any long-term affects.
“It’s disappointing only because it played so well and everyone was so excited,” Doris said. “But I’m also a realist that if it’s not right, its better to fix it now before permanently damaging the field. I’d rather wait longer until we get on it [the field] and make sure its right.”
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