Soccer has exponentially increased in popularity in recent years. Having big time stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney come to the MLS has been great for the soccer community in America. The national team has also been heading in a better direction with a younger team and starting players like Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund and Tim Weah from PSG.
All of this attention to the men's national team means not as much attention is given to the women's national team. The U.S. women's national team is currently ranked #1 in FIFA. They recently won the CONCACAF championship, along with the world cup in 2015 and 2019. The women's national team is composed of many players from top universities such as Stanford, Virginia and North Carolina. The women's national team's success is from America having such an elite development program and great facilities for women's soccer.
This article reviews the top five women's NCAA soccer stadiums -in no particular order – based on capacity and facilities. All of the stadiums only host soccer teams.
1. Eugene E. Stone III Stadium: University of Southern Carolina
The USC women's soccer team competes and is ranked 10th in the Southeastern Conference. The Eugene E. Stone III stadium is also known as the “graveyard” because of its proximity to the House of Peace cemetery. The stadium, built in 1981, seats 5,000. The university has developed the Gamecock Soccer Complex, around the field. The soccer complex, finished in summer 2016, came out to 11,000-square-feet and houses individual team locker rooms, lounges, study rooms, athletic training therapy tubs, a 3,000-square-foot weight room, a cleat room, and a film room.
Related school rating: University of Southern Carolina
2. Morrison Stadium: Creighton University
The Creighton women's soccer team competes in the Big East conference where they are currently ranked 4th in the conference. The Morrison stadium, open since 2003, seats 6,000 people and is the first on-campus soccer field. It was the first field to implement all-weather surfacing, making it one of the best fields in the nation. This one of the best stadiums for fans too, with seating for 7,500, including covered seating, luxury suites, concessions, an enclosed press box, and a champions rooms. This stadium has hosted 10 conference championships, 13 NCAA tournament matches, and a friendly match between the U.S. women's national team and Sweden.
Related school rating: Creighton University
3. Robert R. Hermann Stadium: St. Louis University
The St. Louis women's team plays in the A10 conference, and they won the conference title in 2006 and 2019. The Robert H. Hermann Stadium has been home of the Billiken women's soccer team since 1999. The grandstand seats 6,050. Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, real Madrid, and the U.S. Women's National team have all used the Hermann stadium for training.
Related school rating: St. Louis University
4. Riggs Field: Clemson University
Riggs field is a soccer-specific stadium home to the Clemson University men's and women's soccer teams, who compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The stadium sits 6,500, setting the stage for a great atmosphere. Riggs Field opened as a soccer-specific stadium in 1980 and can therefore offer natural bermuda grass. This field hosted the first ever NCAA soccer championship game to be held on a campus. For players, the stadium offers locker rooms for both teams, as well as dressing rooms for game officials. For fans, this stadium offers an impressive press box and camera deck, as well as concessions and bathrooms.
Related school rating: Clemson University
5. Bill Armstrong Stadium: Indiana University
The Hoosier's stadium seats 6,500 people and offers a substantial home field advantage makes a big difference. The stadium houses all team facilities underneath the field, including locker rooms for both the men's and women's team and one for the visiting team, as well as a complete training facility. The stadium also boasts an all-encompassing press facility. To enhance fans' experience, recent renovations have added a grand entry plaza and elevators.
Related school rating: Indiana University
Notes about soccer-specific stadiums:
All soccer-specific stadiums have grass fields instead of the artificial grass (turf) in many multi-purpose stadiums. Grass is much better on players' legs because it is much more likely to tear your ACL, twist your ankle, etc. while playing on a turf field.
* Originally published on September 9, 2021, by Andrew Goldsmith
