NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — WVU Tech’s membership in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) continues to pay dividends.
The USCAA announced Thursday that WVU Tech will host the league’s men's and women's soccer national championships in 2013 and 2014.
Tech is already pegged to host the men’s and women’s postseason basketball tournaments in March.
According to a school-issued press release, the upcoming soccer championships will be held at Tech’s off-campus soccer home in Charleston.
“We are very pleased with our opportunity to bring our soccer championships to Charleston,” says USCAA Associate Director Matt Simms. “Frank Pergolizzi and his staff at WVU Tech have displayed the utmost professionalism and attention to detail in preparing a bid to host our soccer championships.
“We look forward to the growth the championships can experience through our mutual efforts.”
Games will be played at Schoenbaum Stadium in Charleston’s Coonskin Park and at the Trace Fork Soccer Complex in South Charleston. The 2013 USCAA Soccer Championships are scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 2, while the 2014 event is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5-8.
“We have excellent support from the local convention and visitor’s bureau, great downtown hotels and excellent soccer facilities,” says Pergolizzi, the Tech athletic director. “We are confident that the entire community will get behind this event.”
WVU Tech takes over hosting duties from Warren Wilson College, which held the annual championships in Asheville, N.C. in 2011 the past two seasons. The Golden Bears men’s soccer team finished as runners-up to Briarcliffe College in the 2012 tournament, their first appearance in the championships since joining the USCAA in 2011.
Pergolizzi also looks forward to the opportunities Charleston has to offer, helping Tech increase its involvement in the USCAA.
“WVU Tech is very excited about it’s membership with the USCAA,” he said. “Hosting the soccer tournament is an excellent way for us to be full and active members of the USCAA.
“The city of Charleston is a strong soccer community with excellent facilities. We felt that we could do an excellent job and offer all of the participating teams an outstanding experience.”
With both tournament sites within minutes of downtown hotels, dining and shopping, Charleston will be a prime destination for competitors and spectators alike. The facilities are also conducive to potential growth of the soccer championships, league officials stressed.
“As the USCAA grows, we continue to look for ways to involve as many member institutions as possible,” Simms said. “Soccer is a growing sport, not only in this country but in the USCAA. It was important for us to have a site that would be able to accommodate us should we need to expand the tournament.”
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments feature eight-team, consolation brackets. WVU Tech will receive automatic host bids for both tournaments in 2013 and 2014.
Sports
WVU Tech will host USCAA soccer event
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