Soccer Slated to Play at State-of-the-Art David Gates Stadium
NWACC Men's and Women's Soccer will play home matches at the venue in Rogers, which serves as the football stadium of Heritage High School.
ROGERS, Ark. - The NWACC Women's and Men's Soccer programs have found their first-ever home in the form of David Gates Stadium in Rogers, as announced this week by women's head coach Nick Marquez and men's head coach Dean Johnson.
"It's becoming very, very real," Marquez said. "Honestly, I'm getting butterflies--I'm already kinda nervous for matchday, to be quite candid. [Seeing the stadium] makes me realize the expectation of the region, and as I tell the girls all the time, you've got to earn expectation, and this pressure is a privilege."
The venue, which primarily houses the football and track and field teams at Rogers Heritage High School, will host all of NWACC's home soccer contests for the inaugural 2026 season. Marquez and Johnson chose the facility deliberately for the positive connections associated with the soccer programs at Heritage.
"I think the main thing was the people, to be honest," Johnson said. "I know the coaches really well, and then the admin has been awesome to work with. It's obviously a beautiful facility to play at, but I think just having those relationships and those connections is the reason we chose to play here."
"To me, it's not as much about the brick and mortar so much as the people who will make this place feel like home," Marquez said. "[Heritage boys soccer head coach Christhian] Saavedra and [Heritage girls soccer head coach Chase] Cook and the administration as well, they're, to me, what makes it special. It's not a transactional relationship, but we're each sharing success."
Located on the south side of the Rogers Heritage High School campus, David Gates Stadium is the home venue for the War Eagles' soccer and football programs. In 2025, the Heritage boys soccer team hosted and won the AAA 6A West Conference championship game there en route to a 6A state title.
"I think it's undoubtedly the best in our region in terms of game fields," Johnson said. "To be able to have that in year one, when all of our stuff is still getting built, is awesome. So we're really thankful for Heritage and the community for allowing us to play here."
The NWACC Women's and Men's Soccer region schedules are available to view now at NWACCEagles.com on their respective schedule pages.