Wheaton College Athletics

LOCATED AT 850 COLLEGE AVENUE
WHEATON, IL, 60187

The Wheaton College men's and women's soccer programs play their games in one of the finest facilities in all of NCAA Division III. The facility was re-named Joe Bean Stadium in the fall of 2006The facility had been known as East McCully Field from 1965 until 2006. The men's soccer team moved from Lawson Field to East McCully to begin the 1965 season, and the women's program began as a club sport on East McCully Field in 1987 and achieved varsity status in 1988.

 

The field was re-named in honor of Joe Bean, the longtime head coach of the Wheaton men’s soccer program. Bean retired in December of 2006, after 38 seasons at Wheaton. He guided Wheaton to two NCAA Division III National Championships (1984 & 1997) and two Division National Runner-up efforts (1999 & 2006). He compiled a career record of 606-185-61in 45 seasons as a collegiate head coach, becoming the first collegiate men’s soccer coach to reach 600 career victories and retiring as the winningest collegiate men’s soccer coach in history.

 

The field, located in the southeastern corner of the campus, near the corner of President St. and College Ave., is of maximum regulation dimensions (120 yards by 75 yards). Lights were installed in 1995 to allow night competition, new bleachers and a retaining wall was installed in 2002, along with a new entrance and awnings. A new state-of-the-art artificial grass surface was installed in 2004 year to allow the soccer programs to play in inclement weather and not damage the playing surface.

 

Across from the renovated north-side bleachers, which seat 2,000 fans, are the team and press areas on the south side of the field. Both teams sit in covered dugouts. In addition, the retaining fence behind the east goal has been extended upward, and the entire fence is covered with a wind barrier during the season.

 

Through the years, the facility has been the site of a number of memorable soccer matches. It was on Dec. 1, 1984, at East McCully Field that Wheaton won the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Championships in a hard-fought 2-1 triple overtime win over Brandeis. The 1997 Wheaton men's soccer team won the South Central Regional and its third-round game over Ohio Wesleyan at East McCully Field and went on to win the National Championship. In 1998 Wheaton played its national-record 66th match without a loss, a 3-0 overtime win over Centre, at East McCully. Wheaton also hosted the 1999 Division III Final Four, as the Thunder finished second in the nation.

 

In 1998 the Wheaton women's soccer team hosted a NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Regional for the first time. In 1999 Wheaton hosted two NCAA Tournament matches, including the first National Quarterfinal in the history of the women's soccer program. East McCully Field was the site of the Central Regional in 2000, 2001 and 2003, with the Thunder winning the 2001 event. In 2004 Wheaton hosted a Second Round match and a National Sectional en route to the program's first NCAA Championship. In 2006 the Thunder women’s program hosted NCAA Tournament First and Second Round matches, along with a four-team Sectional, as the team went on to win its second Division III Championship in three years.

 

The first professional match at Joe Bean Stadium took place in July of 2001, when the Chicago Fire hosted the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in a U.S. Open Cup match. More than 2,500 saw the Fire pull out a 3-2 double overtime victory.

 

 

JOE BEAN STADIUM PHOTO GALLERY