The finalist facilities...
Game Day at the Minnesota Soccer Stadium:
Only for women. Only for soccer. Only for you.

Thanks to a generous gift of $900,000 from Deborah Olson, given in the name of her mother Elizabeth Lyle Robbie, and $1.2 million appropriated from the Minnesota state legislature, the University of Minnesota soccer program built a home of its own in the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.

The lighted facility seats 1,500 spectators and contains adjacent, lit practice fields. The two-story Minnesota Soccer Stadium athletic training, media, team and club room facilities, in addition to home and visiting team locker rooms. Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium is undeniably one of the finest facilities in the nation for women’s college soccer, and in recent years fans have packed in to see the resurgent Minnesota soccer program under head coach Mikki Denney Wright.

“It's great to see to the improvement the program has experienced over the last couple of years,” Olson said. “The commitment to success is apparent in all areas, from the coaching staff, to the players, to the fans and everyone else surrounding the program. It has been great to see such an increase in attendance over the last few years, and the enthusiasm surrounding the program has been wonderful. It amazes me more and more every year when I drive up to the stadium and see how great of a facility it is, and to see my mother's name on the front of the stadium is something that is really special.”

“We are so proud and thankful to Deborah Olson and the state legislature for building such a beautiful facility,” head soccer coach Mikki Denney Wright said. “It is truly one of the best in the nation.”

• 2007: Highest Attendance in the Big Ten, 18th in the nation!
• 2006: 3rd Highest Attendance in the Big Ten
• 2005: 14th Highest Attendance in the nation (2 highest attendances in program history, 2nd Highest Attendance in Big Ten)
• Best fans and community support in the Big Ten

Surrounded by a culture of excellence...
As a member of Minnesota Soccer, your friends on other teams are also high achieving students who are competing for Big Ten and NCAA Championships

University of Minnesota Athletics Achievements in 2006-07

• 8 National Championships won in the last six years
• 26 Big Ten/WCHA conference regular season or tournament championships won in the last five years
• 15 of Minnesota's 25 teams finished in the top three of their conferences (Big Ten or WCHA) in 2006-07
• 6 Conference championships won in 2006-07 (men's hockey, wrestling, men’s golf, rowing, men’s swimming and diving, women's indoor track and field)
• 6 Straight Top-20 finishes in the U.S. Sports Academy Director's Cup measuring overall athletic success
• 22 Academic All-Americans over the last three years
• 219 Gopher student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2006-07
• 45 All-Americans in 2006-07
• 40 Gopher student-athletes earned All-Big Ten First Team honors
• 18 Gopher programs reached NCAA postseason competition in 2006-07 including 8 (women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, rowing, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, wrestling) that finished in the top 15 nationally

Minneapolis and St. Paul (The Twin Cities) are consistently ranked among America's most livable, healthy, safe and cultured cities.

• Kiplinger's rated Minneapolis No. 2 on its "50 Smart Places to Live" list.
• Minneapolis has been ranked as the healthiest state by United Health Foundation for three straight years.
• Men's Journal rated the Twin Cities as one of the "50 Best Places to Live" in 2006.
• Minneapolis was named the "Most Fun City in America" by Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live".
• Men's Fitness ranks Minneapolis as the "Most Athletic City" in 2006.
• The Twin Cities boasts all four major sports franchises (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB).
• The Twin Cities are home to 130 art galleries and 35 museums.
• 18 Fortune 500 companies are located in the Twin Cities.
• A 2004 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater study revealed Minneapolis as the "Most Literate City" in America.
• Abundant lakes, rivers and parks for hiking, biking, canoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing, snowboarding...you name it!
• Fantastic concerts and performances - everything from the Minnesota Orchestra to Justin Timberlake, Guster and Beyonce.
• Fun, funky campus neighborhoods with clubs, coffee shops, bookstores and restaurants.

“I chose the University of Minnesota to continue my education and soccer career because of the coaching staff, the strength of women’s athletics at the U, and the great campus. Minneapolis is a great city, and my family is close enough to see all of my college games, which is important to me.”
#22 Kelsey Hood (Ankeny, IA), 2005 Big Ten All-Freshman Team, 2006 and 2007 All-Big Ten Team, 2006 and 2007 Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes Region Team