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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Thursday, Oct. 2 Calendar: Wednesday, Oct. 1 Ashland hosts a mosaic of artists and events Medford man pleads guilty to Ashland burglary, murder Sept. 30 Calendar Education Fighting back against hackers SOU wants its students to love Ashland AHS drops homecoming king, queen A busy homecoming week for AHS students Sportsology returns to ScienceWorks Environment Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Annual tour shows how to live green Taking action here, now on global climate change Garden serves up a feast fit for monarchs Business Lashland Pizzeria hopes for Mystic rebound Ski survey gets heavy response John Kalb, Ashland chiropractor The Coffee Window Politics and elections Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite November elections right around the corner Matthew T. Mangino: Federal government complicit in militarization of police State News Nation - World Obituaries Charlotte Louise White (Crenshaw) Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Dorothy Irene Brown Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies rough up Eagles for fourth win in a row Dodge rewrites NAIA record books Four Raiders pick up weekly honors Something old, something new and something at the last second Ashland pulls out homecoming thriller High school Grizzlies rough up Eagles for fourth win in a row Four Raiders pick up weekly honors Something old, something new and something at the last second Ashland pulls out homecoming thriller Elizabeth Institute donates pink socks to AHS soccer Southern Oregon University Dodge rewrites NAIA record books Four Raiders pick up weekly honors No. 14 Southern Oregon pulls out rollercoaster win over No. 11 Eastern Oregon Revamped Raider Stadium ready for test drive Oregon State's Mannion keeps adding new milestones Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Secret of the Secret Service SOU control shifts downstate Granlund cartoon: Rick Santorum is ready Our view: SOU reaches out to downtown Granlund cartoon: ISIS size and US intel Editorial SOU control shifts downstate Our view: SOU reaches out to downtown Homecoming changes with the times Keep film ordinance simple Don’t ban smoking on the beach Letters Letters to the Editor, Sept. 29 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 26 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 22 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 20 Guest opinions Us versus them Remembering a very prominent local lady Remembering a simpler time in Ashland Fostering a culture of peace in Ashland Stuck on the sands of hesitation Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Local poets celebrate with a reading and a chapbook Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' John Reischman and the Jaybirds Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Theater Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Southern Oregon hosts its Lunacy Theatre Festival Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Freud v. Lewis: Intellectual heavyweights spar over life's big issues 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Music Q&A: Nacosta Muscian's career spins back through Ashland Sean Hayes at the Armory Q&A: Rachael Miles John Reischman and the Jaybirds Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' 'The Drop' hits all the marks Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 3 of 7 'SOU Loves Ashland' Unitarian Universalists welcome the Rev. Nan White Professional care a great help in dealing with dementia Kiwanis Club names new officers Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Calendar: Thursday, Oct. 2 ... SOU control shifts downstate ... Medford man pleads guilty to Ashland burglary, murder ... Calendar: Thursday, Oct. 2 ... SOU control shifts downstate ... Medford man pleads guilty to Ashland burglary, murder ... SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY Revamped Raider Stadium ready for test drive Southern Oregon to host soccer game on new synthetic field By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 26, 2014 @ 6:04 pm Updated Sep 27, 2014 at 12:05 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 26, 2014 @ 6:04 pm Updated Sep 27, 2014 at 12:05 PM » RELATED CONTENT • SOU tilt moved to US Cellular • Raiders to return to Phillips Field • Toiling on the field • Season of change • SOU cutting water use in face of impending drought » Social News Southern Oregon University sports fans are about to find out what $2.3 million worth of renovations looks like. Three-and-a-half months after its renovation began, SOU’s new field at Raider Stadium is ready to be put to use, SOU athletic director Matt Sayre said Friday. The first event on the new field will be Saturday's Cascade Conference women’s soccer game between Southern Oregon and Northwest, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The school had planned to host Thursday’s women’s soccer game against Evergreen State, but the game had to be moved to U.S. Cellular Community Park because the rain storm forced construction crews to postpone the final rubber infill spread. That infill was added Thursday, as well as a slight adjustment to the drainage system. The track, which will be red, won’t be installed until Monday, and upgrades to the landscaping will be completed in the coming weeks, but the field itself is ready for its first test drive. Sayre toured the venue with the “turf team” from Batzer Construction on Friday morning and gave the finished product an emphatic thumbs up. “It’s gorgeous,” he said. “Now let’s see how it does in the win and loss column. It’s something that Southern Oregon is going to be proud of and it’s going to really be an icon for us.” Sayre said the project, which broke ground in mid-June, ended up coming in just over budget after the school decided to throw in a few upgrades that were deemed important enough to warrant the cost — most notably, a honeycombed shock pad layer designed to reduce concussions and knee injuries. “In this day and age with football you see a lot of issues with concussions and a lot more awareness with concussions and brain trauma, and we wanted to make sure our field was top-of-the-line in terms of technology to prevent some of that,” Sayre said. To help make up the difference the Raider Club — SOU’s fund-raising arm — sought help from local business, including Asante, Coming Attractions Theatres, Lithia Auto Stores and Rogue Credit Union. The fundraising effort netted another $100,000. Sayre said the upgrades were important enough to warrant the extra time and money they required. “We could have begun this project right after (the 2013) football season, but we would have had a subpar surface and track,” he said. “We thought, we have one shot and let’s do it as good as we can.” The field appears to meet that standard. The monofilament synthetic turf has a black border, a red coaches box and “Southern” painted white in one end zone and a matching white “Oregon” in the other. In the middle of the field the red, white and black Raider hawk emblem stretches roughly 30 yards across, from just inside one 35-yard line to just inside the other. More beautifications are in the plans, but already in place is red bark and a black, waist-high fence that surrounds the track. The field is lined for football and soccer and will also be able to host lacrosse and rugby games as well as track meets. SOU chose monofilament synthetic grass after touring University of Oregon’s facilities. Its single-blade structure is durable and stands up like real grass. Most synthetic surfaces installed throughout the 2000’s were split-filament blades which have a matted down look after years of use. “It’s shorter, it stands up a little taller and it’s faster,” Sayre said. “The soccer ball will roll truer and football guys will be faster.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected].   By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 26, 2014 @ 6:04 pm Updated Sep 27, 2014 at 12:05 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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