The men's rugby club team's season-opening loss to the University of Hartford was the team's first-ever played on the newly-renovated Gordon Field, but it may be the team's last foray onto the new turf for a while. Captain Alex Goldstein '06 said the team had also reserved the field for its Oct. 1 alumni game-for which Goldstein says hundreds of family members, alumni and friends are coming to town-but the recent advancement of the project to install an eight-lane track surface around the field and the additional work that comes with it has forced Athletics to move the game to the Meadowbrook school in Weston. Athletics Director Sheryl Sousa confirmed that the reservation was made in July, and but said there was no way around the inconvenience.

"We've had to adjust to what the scope of the project is," Sousa said, adding that varsity practices have also been moved and rescheduled because of work on the track.

Goldstein said he is frustrated the alumni game has been moved.

"I think it's terrible," he said. "We're very disappointed. Our alumni are disappointed. But they'll come wherever they have to come to see the game."

Goldstein also said he was upset by the choice of venue, and that the field at the Meadowbrook School "is not really playable for us. The field is on a slope and it's not close to regulation size."

Associate Vice President for Planning, Design and Construction Dan Feldman told the Justice that it's essential for the site to be totally closed off after a basemat is applied to the entire surface, which happened this weekend, because layers that are applied later may not adhere properly to the track.

"This has to be done," he said. "Like any project it involves some disruption and some inconvenience. Sometimes it's not perfect, but we try."

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French echoed a similar sentiment, saying, "This is a long term deal. Everyone's giving a little in the short term. It's worth it."

Goldstein said he understands the need for sacrifice, but emphasized that "this is everything to us. This is what we trained hours and hours for. To us, this is not just a sacrifice, it's a huge sacrifice."

-Dan Hirschhorn