Friday will provide a special day for Grand Valley State University. Not only will it be the first home game for the new women’s lacrosse team, but it will also represent the christening of the new South Complex.

Serving as the new home for the newest varsity sport at GVSU, the complex will serve as a welcoming location for the team in their first home contest against Lindenwood University on Friday.

“Obviously, it’s extremely exciting to have a home field built specifically for them, one not shared,” said GVSU women’s lacrosse coach Alicia Groveston. “It’s great to have a school so supportive of what were doing.”

Located west of the current soccer field, the South Complex will serve as a home field for not only the lacrosse team, but also the men’s and women’s track teams. This represents a change from previous years.

The last home track meet, then hosted in Lubbers Stadium, was the 2005 GLIAC Championship meet. GVSU will host its first dual meet since when Saginaw Valley State University comes to town on March 31.

“It really raises the whole level of our operation form an outdoor perspective,” said GVSU head track and field coach Jerry Baltes. “We’re really excited to get going … for our kids to not have to travel and miss as much class is huge, and having friends and family closer to come and watch is great.”

Approved in 2010 as an $8.3 million project, the complex will serve as both a hub for varsity sports as well as club and intramural sports with a pair of turf softball fields along with soccer fields.

“With the tremendous growth in our intramural and club sports programs, it’s important for us too provide the facilities to have all those participate as best they can,” said GVSU Athletic Director Tim Selgo. “Now, with artificial turf and lights, we’ll be able to expand those even further.”

Selgo said he expects increased participation in the intramural and club sports at GVSU, but the most apparent date for the South Complex still stands at Sunday’s lacrosse game.

“We’re obviously very excited about it … it has been a long process, not only in the construction of the South Complex but also the implementation of our women’s lacrosse program,” Selgo said. “I hope our campus community will come out at 4 o’clock and really support our women’s lacrosse team.

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