PirateQ 
Despite the rainy morning on Dec. 10, a large crowd gathered to celebrate the Pensacola State College soccer complex groundbreaking ceremony. The 6.7-acre complex at the corner of Underwood and Tippin avenues will be home of the reigning Division II Region 8 women’s soccer championship team and a valuable resource for the community.
PSC President Ed Meadows welcomed all in attendance and invited Gordon “Flash” Sprague, Chairman of the District Board of Trustees, to comment: “Because of the addition of women’s soccer, we have expanded the opportunity for even more students to live their dreams of continuing to play the sport they love while receiving one of the best educations in the state of Florida.”
Mike Marshall, Vice President of Sam Marshall Architects, discussed the hard work of making the dream of this project a reality, recognizing key people and companies that worked together on this. “Now comes the part of the project where we celebrate the next step, where somebody has to get their hands dirty to make the project a reality. So, let’s get to work and make the dream come true.”
The ones to “get their hands dirty” are led by President and CEO Mike Morette of the Morette Company. The lighted complex project, expected to begin early next year, with the NCAA regulation-sized natural turf field and a scoreboard, followed by bathrooms and bleacher seating and parking to accommodate 280 spectators.
The addition of a press box, concession stand, parking, locker rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting room are part of the overall project.
Rob Chaney, Associate Director and Athletics Commissioner of the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) gave accolades to the success of Florida’s current six women’s soccer programs, overall, and praised Pensacola State’s commitment to making sure that student athletes are students first and that they succeed in the classroom.
President Meadows emphasized the importance of Pensacola State’s commitment to “academics first” and that good sportsmanship and behavior are also important, affirming that PSC coaches and support personnel teach these vital skill sets to their athletes.
Leading the athletics department, PSC Athletic Director Bryan Llewallyn commented, “Soccer is a huge sport in our community, and it made perfect sense to launch the [women’s soccer] program. I don’t think there was any idea we would be as successful as quickly as we have been, and that is to the credit of a lot of people.” Giving recognition and thanks to so many in the College and community who have helped with the success of the program, Llewallyn acknowledged Dr. Meadows’ goal of building future leaders in our community as well as the job the coaches do with student athletes, including Women’s Soccer Head Coach Mark Yepishin.
Coach Yepishin said, “This is incredible, in our second year, to have the achievement that we have. I never thought it would happen, but it took the players who wanted to come here and the support that we have received from all of you for us to have an amazing team. And now for us to have a place we can call ‘home’…I can’t even think of a dream that would become a reality like this. Big things are in store for soccer, so thank you.”
No longer on the playing field but continuing to give support to the PSC athletics program and community is PSC Athletics Hall of Fame Member and local attorney Doug Bates. The former athlete told the crowd that “right down the street on Langley, there are a bunch of little kids who play soccer – many of them young female athletes who, thirty years ago, weren’t playing there and didn’t have a chance to play college soccer and certainly not here at Pensacola State. My daughter is one of those. So, when President Meadows told me, ‘We’re going to start women’s soccer at PSC,’ he combined two things that probably mean more to me than anything else: PSC and part of my family, my daughter.”
Bates continued, “When you leave here, if you don’t do anything else, just tell people that you were in a really special place today, where you know some great things are going to happen, because all of those accomplishments that happened on a national level this year for the soccer team are going to be on display right here, where we are standing today. That’s due to the vision of President Meadows, due to the hard work and the dedication of the staff and the team members here, which are incredible, and the wonderful coaches. I’m excited to go home and tell my daughter that this is what I did this morning while she was in school because I hope that one day she and her friends have a chance to come out and play on this field.”
Hailey Lotz, Executive Director for Development, Alumni and Athletics, helps bring in funding to support the athletics program, through the generosity of the community. She said, “I want to take a moment to say to the soccer players and our soccer coach that chose to be a part of this before there was ever a field, thank you. Thank you for believing in what was to come. We really appreciate that. That’s a really big deal, that you will always be a part of what we are doing here as a program.”
She asked those in attendance to stay engaged and to stay involved, in the months leading up to the ribbon cutting, that the groundbreaking is just the exciting beginning. “There are so many steps along the way, and we want you to be a part of that journey with us. Thank you to all of our boosters who have believed in us before we even said the word soccer and to those of you who are jumping on board and seeing the impact that this is going to make on the community.”