Photos from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
The brand new championship field at the Swope Soccer Village (63rd and Lewis Rd.) in Kansas City, MO is officially open, hosting its kickoff event on Tuesday with several key stakeholders in attendance. Mayor Sly James, Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo, 5th District Councilman Michael Brooks, Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and KC Parks Commissioners all participated in the ceremonial first kick on the natural grass surface.
Today, the Big 12 Soccer Championship begins with the following four quarterfinal match-ups:
No. 4 Iowa State vs. No. 5 Baylor at 11:30 a.m.
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State at 2:00 p.m.
No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Kansas at 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 TCU at 8:00 p.m.
All four matches today, as well as Friday's semifinal rounds, will be streamed live online by the Big 12 Digital Network on Big12Sports.com. Tickets are available online via Ticketmaster.com and fans can purchase $9 day passes or a $14 tournament pass that provides access to all seven matches.
Two local standouts return to Kansas City for the postseason competition. Overland Park, Kan. native and Blue Valley North alum Frances Silva was named the Big 12 Conference's Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in points (37), goals (12) and assists (13) in her senior year for regular season champions West Virginia. Lee's Summit North alum Allie Stephenson earned All-Big 12 Second Team recognition in her sophomore season at Oklahoma State with six goals and three assists.
The conference's top ranked team in the national polls is No. 11 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders went unbeaten in Big 12 play (6-0-2) and are 16-1-2 overall in 2013. The winner of the Big 12 Soccer Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Check out some of the local media coverage below and follow @SwopeSoccer on Twitter for all the latest.
- New Soccer Field Opens at Swope Park (KSHB)
- Fans get a kick out of Kansas City's new soccer field (KSHB)
- Kansas City's new soccer village kicks off (KCTV)
- Complex meant to boost soccer in urban core (WDAF)
- Swope Park Soccer Village expansion nets Big 12 tournament (KC Business Journal)
- Swope Soccer Village opened in time to host Big 12 Soccer Championship (KC Star)
