Belson Stadium

Since the St. John's men's soccer team won the 1996 NCAA National Championship, there was talk about the team playing on its own field, having a home of its own.

In the Fall of 2002, the Red Storm soccer programs - both the men and the women -began play at Belson Stadium, a 2,300-seat, state-of-the-art stadium.

The idea for a stadium was first hatched in Italy following the Red Storm men's team winning the '96 title. Project donors Maxine and Jerome Belson joined St. John's University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M. and the team on the trip. During the course of the trip, the Belson's expressed a desire to make a home for the team they had adopted.

With that, the process was put into place.

On February 1, 2001, using the shovel that was employed to break ground on the first buildings constructed on Queens campus in the 1950s, the dream was one step closer.

On September 21, 2002, with the St. John's men's soccer team ranked No. 1 in the country - the first of five weeks during the 2002 regular season they would earn that distinction - the dream became a reality. The Red Storm hosted nationally-ranked Wake Forest in front of a loud and enthusiastic crowd of 2,266. After a fireworks show and ribbon cutting ceremony, St. John's and the Demon Deacons provided all the entertainment that was necessary.

Red Storm sophomore Andre Schmid scored the first goal in the stadium, lifting St. John's to a 1-0 lead, but Wake Forest would come back to tie the game. After two scoreless overtime periods, the game ended a tie, but a home field advantage for the Red Storm had been created.

The stadium, to be used for the men's and women's soccer programs, is primarily funded by a $6 million gift from Mr. and Mrs. Belson. Mr. Belson is a graduate of the School of Law, a member of the University's Board of Trustees and a generous benefactor of St. John's. The new stadium seats approximately 2,300 spectators and is situated on a raised platform, with parking underneath, adjacent to the St. John's baseball field.

"This stadium is another manifestation of the extraordinary generosity of Jerry and Maxine Belson, as we further enhance our Queens campus and our entire university," said Fr. Harrington. "This stadium will greatly benefit our outstanding student-athletes, especially our soccer teams, for years to come."

"This is a great day for St. John's University," St. John's Head Men's Soccer Coach Dave Masur said. "We owe so much to the Belson Family for their contributions, their love of St. John's, our programs and our student-athletes.

"This facility is the best soccer stadium in the country and our men's and women's soccer programs, along with the University community, will benefit greatly from it. Our fans, alumni, students and the community will relish the wonderful collegiate atmosphere."

The Red Storm felt right at home last season, posting a 7-0-1 record in their first season of play on Belson Stadium. They carried that winning success over in the 2003 season, posting a perfect 9-0-1 mark, with the one tie coming against Connecticut, when St. John's posted a 4-2 win in penalty kicks. In 18 games at the facility, the men's team has posted 17 wins in 18 games.

In addition to St. John's outstanding play, the Red Storm's fans came out in droves to see the new stadium, which sports FieldTurf, one of the top playing surfaces in the world. St. John's finished the 2002 season ranked 14th in the country in average home attendance, drawing 12,597 fans over 11 games, an average of 1,145.

The women's team, meanwhile, posted a 6-3-1 record during its first season at Belson and hosted the ECAC Championship at the field in November. Wins over Niagara and Cornell set up the first team championship for St. John's on the field.

The new stadium includes a press box, private suites and media room.

St. John's home records under Dave Masur