Women's Soccer | 9/5/2019 9:54:00 AM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The newest addition to West Liberty University's athletic facilities lineup makes its debut here on Friday when the WLU women's soccer team opens its season against California (Pa.) at the sparkling new West Family Athletic Complex.
    Kickoff for the first home night game in Hilltopper soccer history is set for 7 p.m.
    Fueled by yet another generous contribution from WLU alumni Gary '58 and "Flip" West, the impressive facility features a fully-lighted artificial turf soccer field encircled by an 8-lane all-weather track built to meet or exceed all NCAA specifications.
    In addition to men's and women's soccer, the West Family Athletic Complex will also serve as the home for the university's men's and women's track programs while providing additional recreation opportunities for local residents and the entire university community.
    "We are so appreciative of the continued support and generosity of Gary and Flip West and the entire West family," West Liberty athletic director Ullom said. "Thanks to their generous lead gift to jump start this project, we now have one of the finest soccer/track venues in the region.
    "This was designed as a true multi-purpose facility in every sense of the phrase. It was developed to serve not just our athletic teams but to be available for use by all students, staff and members of the local community. The lighting system was an important part of the package as it allows us to schedule more matches at night, greatly reducing the number of missed classes for our student-athletes."
    Head coach Barry Christmas and his women's soccer team have been impressed by the playability of their new field during preseason training sessions and can't wait to kick things off on Friday.
    "We're incredibly excited about playing our first game under the lights at our beautiful new complex," Christmas said. "Not only is this a great addition to the university as a whole, it will definitely have a positive impact on all aspects of the programs who call this facility home."
    Christmas welcomes back the top six scorers from his 2018 squad, which mounted a late-season surge to earn a Mountain East Conference Tournament berth and capitalized on that opportunity with the first post-season win in program history.
    That includes All-MEC defender Cate Calissie and MEC All-Tournament pick Kaelyn Oskin – who netted the game-winning PK against Fairmont State in the Hilltoppers' MEC Tournament shootout win. Leading scorer Layne Hartnell also returns for her final season as a graduate student after ranking among the MEC leaders a year ago with 7 goals and an assist.
    The Lady Hilltoppers will be back in action on Tuesday when Ursuline (Ohio) makes its first trip to the West Family Athletic Complex for a 5 p.m. match.