Rutgers to host 2019 Big Ten women’s soccer tournament

PISCATAWAY – Rutgers University will serve as the host site for the 2019 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament semifinals and championship game, it was announced Tuesday by the Conference. The tournament’s final weekend will be played at RU’s Yurcak Field.

“The Big Ten is pleased that Rutgers will host the 2019 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament,” said Big Ten Associate Commissioner for Sports Administration Wendy Fallen. “Yurcak Field is a historic venue that has been the centerpiece of numerous championship events and continues to be home to one of the country’s top-level professional franchises in Sky Blue FC. We look forward to providing our students and coaches with a first-class experience in an ideal setting.”

The top eight finishers in the final Big Ten standings will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, with the quarterfinals played Nov. 3 on the campuses of the top four seeds. The four quarterfinal winners will then advance to the semifinals on Nov. 8, with the championship game slated for Nov. 10. The winner of that title game will earn the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

The Championship will be the first of two the Scarlet Knights welcome this season, as Rutgers will also host the 2020 Wrestling Championship March 7-8 at the RAC. RU has previously hosted Big Ten Championships in women’s lacrosse (2015), women’s gymnastics (2017) and men’s lacrosse (2019).

Ticket prices, kickoff times and television coverage for the 2019 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament will be announced at a later date.

About Yurcak Field

Dedicated on April 16, 1994, the stadium is officially named “The Soccer Stadium at Yurcak Field” in honor of Ronald N. Yurcak, a 1965 All-American Rutgers lacrosse player who made a generous donation to the university.

In March 2019, Yurcak Field underwent a surface renovation, as the pitch was replaced with 100-percent Kentucky Bluegrass, cut at 7/8 inch and placed on a sand base surface. The grass was provided by Tuckahoe Turf Farm in New Jersey.

Featuring a 120′ x 75′ playing surface, the stadium is complete with state-of-the-art irrigation and drainage systems. It also features a permanent lighting system, a ticket office/concession building, home and visitor dressing rooms, and a modern press box that has camera platforms and the capability of handling 30 media personnel for both TV and radio broadcasts. The fully-lit stadium not only houses 5,000 fans in its spacious grandstand, but is also capable of holding several thousand more across the field in the stadium’s berm area.