On a chilly October night in Ames, the ISU soccer team finally got the boost it needed to win its first Big 12 game of the season.

That boost came in the form of a new facility that’s part of the Cyclone Sports Complex — a $13 million facility built to house the ISU soccer, softball, and track and field teams.

“It’s a great atmosphere; it’s a beautiful facility and it was fun to play in,” said senior defender Megan Longobardi after last Friday’s game.

When soccer first became a sanctioned ISU sport in 1995, the athletic department built the ISU Soccer Complex east of the Lied Recreation Athletic Center. The program used that facility for almost 16 years — until last Friday, when the new complex opened.

The new facility was necessary for Iowa State to be competitive in the Big 12. The ISU Soccer Complex lacked the simplest of amenities that soccer stadiums typically contain.

The complex did not have attached locker rooms for the athletes, nor did it have indoor restrooms for the fans. Other necessary features were not added to the complex until recent years.

Iowa State did not receive lighting until a $170,000 renovation in 2004 and a meeting room for the team was not built in Lied until 2005.

The Cyclone Sports Complex is a much-needed step in the right direction for the ISU soccer program. The state-of-the-art facility is a big improvement from the last one.

The new stadium contains locker rooms for both the home and away teams, as well as one for the officials. The complex also houses an athletic training room for injured athletes and team meeting rooms.

In addition to the new features for student-athletes, fans also receive new amenities. The 1,500-seat stadium includes restrooms and concessions for spectators.

The Cyclone Sports Complex’s new brick exterior is a refreshing improvement to the less-than-impressive fence and metal structures in the old stadium.

The softball stadium neighbors the new red track that surrounds the turf soccer field. For Iowa State’s style of play, the new turf field should be an advantage over the old grass field.

“I think it’ll help us out a lot the way we like to play, the possession style,” said junior forward Jennifer Dominguez. “The fast turf [will] help us move the ball quickly and up and down the field is going to look nice.”

Besides the advantage the new turf provides for the team on game days, the Cyclone Sports Complex also benefits the ISU soccer program in recruiting. The coaches have already been able to show prospective student-athletes the new facility.

“It’s got a ‘wow’ factor; [it’s] definitely one of the best facilities in the Big 12 now for soccer,” said ISU soccer coach Wendy Dillinger. “It’s great for our athletic department overall, and it’s really going to help us in the recruiting process.”

The Cyclone Sports Complex is an investment in the ISU soccer program’s future, and the new facility should enable more success in future seasons for Iowa State.

“I definitely think it’ll be a good thing for our team going forward,” Longobardi said. “New field, new attitudes, everything.”

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Maddy Arnold is a freshman in pre-journalism from West Des Moines, Iowa.