The new facility, to be dedicated in 2008, will be called Roberts Stadium in honor of Thomas S. Roberts ’85, a former record-holding goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team. Roberts and his wife, Kristen, were the lead donors for the effort. “We are grateful to the friends of Princeton soccer, not only for their generosity that will allow us to build a splendid new stadium, but also for their faith in our soccer players and the values they embody,” said President Tilghman.

The new complex will feature a three-sided stadium as well as a grass-surfaced, lighted playing field to be named in the memory of Robert Hauter Myslik ’90, a soccer player, teacher, and assistant Princeton soccer coach who died in an automobile accident in 2003. A gift from his family members, including Andrew B. and Melora Myslik Balson, both of the Class of 1988; Robert J. Myslik ’61; and J. Taylor Woodward III ’62, inspired many of Myslik’s friends and colleagues to follow suit. Major support also came from John H. Laporte Jr. ’67, a member of the men’s soccer team, and his wife, Andrea. Their challenge pledge resulted in more than $2 million in new gifts. Laporte, a portfolio manager for T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, Maryland, has a long record of service and giving to Princeton, including establishing the John H. Laporte Jr., Class of 1967, Freshman Seminar in Finance.

More than 40 alumni and friends contributed to the project, with strong volunteer leadership by former Friends of Princeton Soccer President Charles V. Stillitano Jr. ’81. An adjacent practice field, to be called Plummer Field, was separately funded by an anonymous donor.

Roberts, an economics major at Princeton and then a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School, is a managing partner with Summit Partners, a private equity firm. “Playing soccer at Princeton was a great experience for me, and I am honored that we are able to give back to a program—and a sport—that means so much to our family,” said Roberts. “The construction of the new soccer facility is a dream come true for anyone who has supported or participated in Princeton soccer. The program enjoys a great tradition of excellence, and my hope is that this gift will help enhance that tradition for future players.”

Director of Athletics Gary D. Walters ’67 expressed gratitude to those who made the new facility possible.“Thanks to the generous leadership and shared vision of the Roberts, Myslik, and Laporte families, as well as many other alumni,” he said, “Princeton’s men and women soccer players will now be able to perform in a stadium that matches their abilities and reflects Princeton’s commitment to the role that athletics can play in the holistic education of its student athletes.”