Men's soccer captain Andrew L. Lundquist '99said practicing and playing on grass isdetrimental to the team.

"It puts us at a definite disadvantage comparedto other schools," he said. "Being able to trainand play year-round is definitely a bonus. It's atleast going to give us a step up."

Anderson said the new field will bringHarvard's athletic facilities up to the same levelof many other ivy league schools that already haveartificial turf playing fields.

"Honestly, we're one of the last teams in ourleague [not to have turf]," he said.

He said four ivy league colleges-- Brown,Cornell, Princeton, and University ofPennsylvania-- already have artificial turf, andDartmouth and Yale have plans to build them.

"Certainly we are keeping ourselves at theforefront [of athletic facilities]," said TimWheaton, head coach of the women's soccer team.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said thenew field has been considered for some time andwill help alleviate already crowded field space.

"Artificial turf has been an important priorityfor the Athletic Department for a number ofyears," he said. "It'll benefit everyoneinvolved."

Although Locker estimated that the field mightbe completed in eight months, his colleagueswarned that the field's proposed site needs agreat deal of work.

"The area now is kind of swampy," Andersonsaid.

"The surface they're building on is veryproblematic," Wheaton said.

Assistant Director of Sports Information BuffyL. Clifford said she could not comment on morespecific details of the construction because planshave not yet been formalized