Sept. 19, 2005

CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago's women's soccer team plays its home opener and the first game on a newly installed FieldTurf playing surface when it hosts Marquette on Sept. 20 at Loyola Soccer Park. The playing surface will also be utilized by the Loyola men's soccer team and the Rambler softball team.

Dramatically different from traditional synthetic turf, FieldTurf's fiber surface is soft and silky, like blades of grass. Players can slide, tackle and tumble on FieldTurf's specially treated Polyethylene fibers without fear of abrasions. Unlike traditional turf, FieldTurf does not rely on an underlying shock pad for safety but rather a mixture of smooth, rounded silica sand, rubber granules and NIKE GRIND made of re-ground athletic shoe material. Further benefits include improved player safety, reduced maintenance costs and flexibility for conversion.

More than 30 NCAA major football programs have FieldTurf in their stadiums including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Boston College and Louisville. In addition to its growing popularity in the college ranks, FieldTurf is currently used by 22 of the National Football League's 32 teams at their stadiums and/or practice facilities. FieldTurf was also the first artificial turf product approved by FIFA for World Cup play.