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 Eastgate Field has been home to Valparaiso Crusader soccer since 1983, when the men’s program was founded. During the early years of the program, the Crusaders played their home matches at both Eastgate and Brown Field on the university’s campus, while also playing on the baseball field for several matches. By the early 1990s, Valpo moved all of its home contests to Eastgate Field. In 1993, when the Valpo women’s program was founded, the two teams began to share the facility. Many renovations have taken place over the last decade at the complex. In 1999, a new scoreboard was added at Eastgate. Toward the end of the 2000 season, team shelters were added along with an official’s dugout. More additions took place prior to the 2001 season as a new set of bleachers was added to the complex, giving the field a seating capacity of 500. In addition, a fully-enclosed press box was added at the top of the bleachers, featuring an area for television and radio broadcasts to originate from Eastgate Field. The roof of the press box is covered, serving as a camera deck. In addition to the press facility upgrades, a concession stand was also added behind the bleachers. All of the renovations in 2001 were made possible by a generous gift to the school. Most recently, new team shelters were built on the east side of the field prior to the 2007 campaign, resulting in unobstructed sight lines for spectators.  The Crusader men’s team set a new standard for excellence defending its home field in 2006, winning five matches at Eastgate, the most since moving all of its home matches to the facility. In addition, the Crusaders finished at or above .500 at home for the first time in 11 seasons. In 2007, they again finished at .500 at Eastgate Field, posting a 2-2-1 record, including a tie against then-nationally ranked Michigan State. They also averaged 359 fans per match over their five home matches, the highest average home attendance in Crusader men’s soccer history. Beginning in the 2004 season, Eastgate Field became a huge homefield advantage for the women’s soccer team. The Crusaders have posted a 30-10-2 mark over the past fives seasons, including a school-best seven wins during the 2005 championship season. The home record win total of seven victories was then matched during the 2007 season. Eastgate Field has played host to the Mid-Continent Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament twice during its existence. The first championship was held in 1997, with the event staged at Eastgate Field again one year later. In 2008, the women’s program hosted their first postseason match at Eastgate Field, hosting a first round match in the Horizon League Championships. |
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