The UND women's soccer team won't be playing home games in North Dakota in 2018.
That's the strange reality with UND's Bronson Field under construction this summer. As a result, the Fighting Hawks will be playing its 2018 home schedule in the fall at East Grand Forks Senior High.
Construction crews have started the renovation process of Bronson Field, the land east of Ralph Engelstad Arena where the Fighting Hawks have played home games since the program's inception in 1999.
UND is also renovating an area of grass northeast of REA to provide a soccer practice field.
"That's exciting for the program," UND coach Chris Logan said. "It should be a new, premier surface that will enhance the quality of play and the fan experience, as well."
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The project started at the end of May.
Logan said the practice field is expected to be completed by the fall, with the timeline for the game surface undetermined. He said the importance has been placed on getting the project done right, rather than hurrying it along.
"The biggest thing with the surface is to make it flatter," Logan said. "In the past, it wasn't too bumpy, but it was more wavy and inconsistent. It should also have a better quality of grass."
Logan said the practice field frees up Bronson to host games, alleviating some of the pressure on the surface.
"It's another demonstration of support for soccer that the athletic department has embarked upon," Logan said.
The 2018 season marks UND's first year in the Summit League after spending six seasons in the Big Sky Conference.
Logan engineered a four-win improvement for the Fighting Hawks in his first year at the helm, leading the team to a 6-8-4 overall record and a 4-5-1 conference mark that was the program's best since joining the Big Sky in 2012.
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