As dusk approached on a dark Friday night, only a sliver of purple sky remained on the horizon to bring light to the ground below. Yet, down on Gordon Field, a soccer game was being played in brilliant and fully visible light. The men's soccer team was able to play its game against Washington University at 5 p.m. because of the lights-the massive, industrial-strength fixtures that now hover above Gordon Field, courtesy of the University's recent and much-needed spending spree on athletic facilities.

The administration fast-tracked the project this fall, adding a full eight-lane track and towering lights just over a month into the school year. But as beautiful as the new facility looks during the day, to behold it at night is to understand how far Brandeis athletics have come.

Athletic Director Sheryl Sousa seems to have worked wonders in her short time at the helm of Brandeis sports, overseeing countless improvements in the department, from more serious intramural opportunities to an invaluable recreation program. But most importantly, she has spearheaded the recent facility improvements that have benefited both varsity athletes and students participating in club and intramural teams. In addition to the lighting structure, Gordon Field itself was completely renovated over the summer with professional-grade artificial turf- the kind of turf that you can feel yourself sink into as you delicately step across it.

Nighttime outdoor collegiate sporting events are typical for most schools, but not here. Watching the boys in blue shooting up the field while crickets chirped in the background was special for Judges fans.

As the large crowd surrounded the fenced-in field, braving the biting cold, something new was happening. People crammed the fence end to end, excited to watch a Brandeis men's soccer game. There were gasps following exciting plays, groans when something went wrong and even more vocal support from other varsity athletes than before.

After rookie forward Ben Premo '09 scored his second goal to give the Judges the lead, his face twisted with determination as he screamed to his teammates, "Come on! Let's go!" He may as well have been talking about athletics at Brandeis.

Brandeis is hardly on its way to becoming a sports school, and we will likely never go down that path. But this is one undeniable sign that people can and will enjoy athletics here. It's really just a matter of showing them the light.