Pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board, the Colonels soccer team will have a new place to call home next season with the construction of a new soccer complex. Once approved the facility will bode locker rooms, coaches’ offices, concession stand and restrooms and will cost about $400,000. The actual building of the facility could start as early as this spring.

The donation of the facility was made in part through Mike Fesi, the owner and president of Pipeline Construction and Maintenance Inc. in Houma, and his company will also build the facility.

Fesi learned about the needs of the Nicholls Soccer program through Don McCarter, head coach of the Houma Terrebonne Stryker soccer club, a team Colonels soccer coach Cindy Piper trains.

After Piper found out about Fesi’s plans to build a facility for the soccer team, she said she knew her team was getting a gift that would help elevate the Colonels soccer program to a new level.

“I think when opponents would see our field before, they thought Nicholls didn’t care about soccer,” Piper said. “Now we have something that the entire university can take pride in.”

Athletics Director Rob Bernardi said the soccer complex is just another improvement that shows how dedicated Nicholls coaches are when it comes to making positive changes within the University.

“It’s a testament to Nicholls administration and coaches for wanting to pursue as many different avenues as possible to make this university better,” Bernardi said. “And having a terrific and dynamic leader in Dr. Stephen Hulbert helps the process even further.”

Along with the soccer complex, instillation of new turf at John L. Guidry Stadium and other possible renovations to other facilities, Bernardi said he believes Nicholls sports are on the rise.

“Nicholls is constantly on the rise and it’s only going to get better from here,” he said.

The soccer program has been around since 1998 and has only made the conference tournament once since its inception, but Piper said the new facility does not put any added pressure on her to succeed at any cost.

“With this new complex, we will be able to bring more recruits to Thibodaux and put Nicholls State on the map for soccer,” Piper said. “I want to make the program something the community can be proud of.