Missouri Southern Soccer Camps

Facilities/Directions

Hal Bodon Field

When Dr. Hal Bodon first introduced soccer at Missouri Southern State College in 1972, he started with phone poles and chicken wires.

Now the Missouri Southern soccer field is freshly adorned with a scoreboard, sound system, lights, and a chain link fence, thus making it an attractive and picturesque venue from which to watch exciting soccer action.

Fittingly, the powers that be at Missouri Southern decided to honor the founder of Missouri Southern soccer, as Missouri Southern's home pitch was dedicated "Dr. Harold 'Hal' Bodon Field" on September 9, 1998.

The Lions downed Bartlesville Wesleyan College 1-0 their first night on the field officially named for the individual who brought soccer to Missouri Southern. Since 1984, Southern's men have posted an 91-79-19 record on their home pitch for a .547 winning percentage.

The Southern women, meanwhile have gone 36-33-1 at Bodon Field since 1998, the first year Southern sponsored women's soccer. The Lions are 21-5-2 in the last three years at home. Their first home win came in a 1-0 victory over Allen County Community College on Oct. 1, 1998.

Bodon, served as a professor of communications for 25 years at Missouri Southern, in addition to his position as head soccer coach. He posted a career record of 139-73-22 from 1976-87, good for a .641 winning percentage. He retired from Missouri Southern in the spring of 1996 and went on to serve as a missionary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

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Directions:

From Fayetteville, AR: HWY 71 North - continue north when HWY 71 becomes HWY 249. Continue on HWY 249 to Newman Rd. Go West on Newman Rd. to Duquesne Rd. and the MSSU campus.

From Kansas City: HWY 71 South to Webb City; follow signage - South on Madison Ave. (which becomes Range Line Rd. at Joplin City Limits) to Newman Rd.; East on Newman Rd. approximately 1.5 miles to Missouri Southern campus.

From Springfield: I-44 West, follow signage at Exit 11B; North on HWY 249 to Newman Rd. Go West on Newman Rd. to Duquesne Rd. and the MSSU campus.

From Tulsa, OK: I-44 East to Joplin, exit on Range Line Rd. (exit 8B); north on Range Line Rd. to Newman Rd.; East on Newman Rd. approximately 1.5 miles to Missouri Southern campus.

From Wichita, KS: South on I-35 to HWY 166; East on HWY 166 to Baxter Springs, KS; North on Alt. 69 to Rt. 66; East on Rt. 66 to Joplin (Rt. 66 becomes 7th Street) to Range Line Rd.; north on Range Line Rd. to Newman Rd.; East on Newman Rd. approximately 1.5 miles to Missouri Southern campus. Or HWY 400 (Kellogg in Wichita) to HWY 171 to Madison Ave. in Webb City, Mo.; South on Madison Ave. (which becomes Range Line Rd. in Joplin) to Newman Rd.; East on Newman Rd. approximately 1.5 miles to Missouri Southern campus.