PirateQ 
Coaches, athletes, boosters, board members, members from Morette Company and many more gathered to celebrate the opening of the new soccer stadium at Pensacola State College with an official ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by the inaugural home match for PSC Women’s Soccer, on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Pensacola State College Athletics officially unveiled the college’s first on-campus soccer field on Thursday, Sept. 3, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by the Pirates’ inaugural home match. The opening marks a significant milestone for PSC Athletics and the continued growth of soccer at the college and in Northwest Florida.
“For our program, this is so much more than a new field. It represents growth, opportunity and a commitment to the future for student-athletes,” said PSC Head Soccer Coach Mark Yepishin. “When we started this program, we had a vision of building something that players, our college and our community could be proud of. Today’s another step in making that vision a reality.”
Hailey Lotz, PSC executive director of athletics and alumni, welcomed attendees and distinguished guests with an overview of the soccer program’s successful first few years.
“We knew we were creating a new opportunity for student-athletes,” she said. “What we could not have known was just how quickly the program would make its mark.”
Since its launch under Yepishin in 2023, PSC Women’s Soccer has fielded more than 70 players, won three FCSAA Region 8 championships, competed on the national stage and excelled academically, ending the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.49, according to Lotz.
“Our student-athletes are students first and athletes second,” said PSC President Ed Meadows. “They are consistently, every year, in the top academic standing in the state, and I congratulate our coaches in every sport for contributing to that success.”
Rob Chaney, executive director of the Florida College System Activities Association, traveled from Tallahassee for the opening ceremony and the Pirates’ inaugural home match against the Northeast Community College Hawks. He echoed Meadows’ praise of PSC’s academic achievement among student-athletes and congratulated the college administration and Athletics Department on the milestone moment for both PSC soccer and collegiate soccer in Florida, saying, “Days like today don’t happen without vision and leadership.”
Chaney also announced that PSC will host the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II South District Soccer Championship on Oct. 30-31. The four-team tournament will feature the FSCAA champion, represented by either PSC or Pasco-Hernando State College, along with teams from the Alabama Community College Conference, the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association and NJCAA Region 10.
In addition to collegiate competition , the new stadium will also host high school soccer with the launch of a girls soccer program at PSC Charter Academy this fall. Charter Academy Athletic Director Lindsey Angus said the new program is currently accepting applications, and the hiring process for the team’s head coach is nearing completion.
The new soccer complex, located at the corner of Underwood and Tippin avenues on the Pensacola campus, was designed by Sam Marshall Architects and built by Morette Company, the project’s general contractor. The lighted complex currently features an NCAA regulation-size natural turf field, a scoreboard, restrooms, concessions and bleacher seating.
Meadows announced that the second and final phase of construction will begin following the season and will include the addition of locker rooms and a press box.
“This is a special day,” said PSC Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Bryan Lewallyn. “PSC is deeply rooted in the community, and this facility is just going to strengthen that connection. We’re grateful to Dr. Meadows for his vision and direction with starting soccer at Pensacola State.”
Addressing the student-athletes in attendance at the ceremony, Yepishin said, “This stadium belongs to you. You are the ones who create all the memories here—the practices, the victories, the friendships and the moments you will remember way past your time here.”
“We want this field to become a place where our community comes together, where our future Pirates dream about playing college soccer, and where our program continues to represent Pensacola State College with pride.”
Following the ribbon cutting, fans remained on site for the inaugural home match against nationally ranked Northeast Community College. While PSC fell 2-0, the atmosphere remained celebratory as student-athletes, coaches and supporters welcomed the opportunity to compete on a field they can now call their own.