BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College men's soccer team will be holding a nontraditional 'home' game early in its 2016 season, being set to play host to SUNY Cobleskill at Applejack Stadium in Manchester, Vt. on Saturday, September 3.
The 7 p.m. start will be the first game hosted under the lights in Southern Vermont soccer history, albeit a short drive up Route 7 North for the Mountaineers.
Applejack Stadium was constructed in 2005 and is widely regarded as one of the best natural grass playing surfaces in Vermont. The Stadium takes advantage of an historic grandstand and includes breathtaking views of the Green Mountains.
The grandstand can seat approximately 1,000 spectators with concessions being available for fans. There will be a $5 admission fee for adults and a $3 charge for students and seniors, however Southern Vermont and Cobleskill students will be admitted for free with a valid institutional ID.
"We're thrilled to host the Southern Vermont College men's soccer Mountaineers at Applejack," said John O'Keefe, Town Manager for Manchester. "Bringing exciting, top-notch college soccer to the stadium and Manchester is a great use of the premium playing surface and will help to further develop Manchester as a regional hub for soccer. We're also excited to show SVC students the best Manchester has to offer and encourage them to come north to Manchester to cheer on the team!"
The Mountaineers' match is part of the 2016 Manchester College Soccer Series which has three additional preseason collegiate contests to be played at Applejack, including a women's exhibition between the University of Vermont and the University of Massachusetts. September 3 will see a trio of soccer matches held at the Stadium, the first being a preseason women's scrimmage between Middlebury College and Williams College (1 p.m.). The local Burr and Burton Academy girls' varsity team will then face off against St. Johnsbury Academy at 4 p.m. before the lights kick on for SVC's showdown with the Fighting Tigers.
First-year SVC head coach Greg Gilmore commented that, "We are extremely excited to have our first home game under the lights for Southern Vermont men's soccer. Applejack Stadium is a gorgeous venue for the occasion, and we look forward to being a part of the 2016 Manchester College Soccer Series.
"We expect this to be a good experience for our players, as well as our students," Gilmore continued. "We are expecting a highly-competitive match, and hopefully we can showcase the future of our program to our students-- as well as the greater Manchester area-- under the lights."
"SVC is very pleased to have been invited to participate in the Soccer Series at Applejack," said Southern Vermont Director of Athletics Michael McDonough. "It's a wonderful opportunity to expose the Northshire to collegiate soccer-- along with a quality high school match. We expect it will create a great deal of excitement as we kick off the 2016 fall season."
Applejack is located at 340 Recreation Park Road in Manchester. To learn more about the Stadium or the town, please visit http://manchester-vt.gov/applejack/.