Klöckner Stadium and Men’s Lacrosse Facilities
The home of the University of Virginia’s soccer and lacrosse teams is Klöckner Stadium, considered one of the nation’s premier college soccer and lacrosse facilities. In its short history, Klöckner has played host to numerous soccer and lacrosse postseason games.
The state-of-the-art facility was unveiled on Aug. 30, 1992, when 6,142 sun-drenched fans gathered for a dedication exhibition match between Santa Clara and Virginia. The rematch between the two finalists from the 1991 NCAA championship game was a fitting matchup to officially dedicate a facility where UVA would prove virtually unbeatable in the coming years.
In what would become a season-long trait, UVA scored on a rebound when Ben Crawley headed in Damian Silvera’s deflected shot in the 62nd minute for the historic first goal at the new field as UVA defeated Santa Clara 1-0 to start its march towards a second consecutive NCAA championship.
The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams play all home games at Klöckner Stadium. The field has served as one of the best places to catch the most exciting lacrosse games in ACC history. It also attracts some of the best teams in the country, which makes for an exhilarating spring in Klöckner.
Built at a cost of $3.4 million, Klöckner Stadium was made possible through the generosity of the Klöckner Group donating $1.2 million to the construction the stadium.
Klöckner, with headquarters in Germany, is an established and well-known industrial conglomerate specializing in steel, machinery, equipment and packaging materials. Its subsidiary, Klöckner-Pentaplast, is one of the nation’s leading plastic film manufacturers. Klöckner operates numerous manufacturing plants throughout the United States, including one in Gordonsville, Va., outside Charlottesville.
The $1.2 million gift from Klöckner went toward completion of the first phase of the Klöckner Stadium project. The project’s first phase included permanent seating in the grandstand for 3,600 (with additional hillside seating for approximately 3,500 people), a regulation-size natural grass field, a full-size practice field adjacent to the stadium, team locker rooms, a press box, an indoor VIP box, scoreboard, concession stands and rest rooms.
The second phase of the stadium project, the installation of a lighting system, was completed during the summer of 1995. The Klöckner Group renewed its commitment to the University as the largest donor to this project. The lighting system provides lighting on the playing field as well as on the walkways leading to the stadium from surrounding streets and parking lots.
UVA played its first night game at Klöckner Stadium on September 13, 1995, against Virginia Tech as 3,358 fans braved a threatening thunderstorm to attend the historic game. Despite a 30-minute first-half rain delay, many fans remained to cheer the Cavaliers on to a 7-1 victory.
In addition to serving as the home of the Cavaliers, Klöckner Stadium allows the University of Virginia to sponsor coaching clinics, state cup and high school championships, conference, regional and national intercollegiate contests and tournaments. It also plays host to United States Soccer Federation events and national team Olympic qualifiers. Klöckner Stadium has also been used as a training site for the D.C. United team of Major League Soccer and as the site for the Spring Game for the UVA football team.
In 2004, the facility received a new scoreboard, and in 2006 a new state-of-the-art video display board was added to the scoreboard.
Men’s Lacrosse Locker Room
Finished after the 2004 national championship season, the women’s lacrosse locker room includes state-of-the-art lockers surrounding a large player area with a couch and a film study area. The carpeted room is large enough for a team meeting area and has a dressing area for both practice and games. With plaques honoring alumni, the locker room provides a link to both the foundation of the program and its present student-athletes.
Lacrosse Practice Field
Keeping in line with its goal to build and maintain the finest facilities in the nation, in the summer of 2006 Virginia had the state-of-the-art FieldTurf playing surface installed on lacrosse practice field.
Utilized by several dozen Division I athletics programs and the majority of the stadiums for NFL franchises, FieldTurf emulates natural grass with a mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber and a patented layering process. Its benefits include improved player safety and reduced maintenance.
Men’s Lacrosse practice is open to the public.
| Klöckner Stadium Historic Games – Men’s Lacrosse | |
|---|---|
| First Men's Game | Feb. 28, 1992 vs. Villanova (W, 21-6) |
| First Men's Win vs. Ranked Opponent | March 6, 1993 vs. No. 11 Navy (W, 9-7) |
| First Men's ACC Win | April 3, 1993 vs. No. 13 Maryland (W, 11-10) |
| First Men's NCAA Tournament Game | May 19, 1993 vs. Notre Dame (W, 19-9) |
| First Men's NCAA Tournament Win | May 19, 1993 vs. Notre Dame (W, 19-9) |
| First Men's Win vs. Top 10 Opponent | April 10, 1993 vs. No. 1 North Carolina (W, 13-12 OT) |
| First Men's Win vs. Top 5 Opponent | April 10, 1993 vs. No. 1 North Carolina (W, 13-12 OT) |
| First Men's Win vs. No. 1 Opponent | April 10, 1993 vs. No. 1 North Carolina (W, 13-12 OT) |
| 50th Men's Win | April 15, 2000 vs. No. 5 Duke (W, 12-7) |
| 100th Men's Win | March 4, 2008 vs. VMI (W, 24-5) |
| 150th Men's Win | Feb. 28, 2016 vs. Penn (W, 15-10) |
| Total Men's Record at Klöckner | 158-37-20 (25 Seasons) |
| ACC Record at Klöckner | 29-21 (25 Seasons) |
Directions
From the East/West:
Take I-64 to exit 118B (Culpeper-Charlottesville). Take second exit (sign will say University of Virginia Information Center and Business 250 East) and bear right onto Ivy Rd. At second stoplight, turn left on to Copeley Rd.
From the North:
Take Route 29 south into Charlottesville (Emmet St.). Turn right at Massie Rd. Go to the next stoplight and turn left onto Copeley Rd.
From the South:
Take Route 29 to Business Route 250 East (sign will say University of Virginia Information Center) and bear right onto Ivy Rd. At second stoplight, turn left onto Copeley Rd.