SEASON PREVIEW: Women's Soccer

Soccer teams look to have improved seasonsSoccer teams look to have improved seasonsBaker injects new attitute into women's squad Heike Krippendorff is tired of losing. In fact, the entire Penn women's soccer team is tired of losing. After a season in which the team won its first (and only) Ivy League game in history, the Quakers replaced coaches Suzette Wolf and David Masterson with Patrick Baker. "Coach [Baker] is incredible," junior co-captain Krippendorff said. "He's the best coach I've ever had. He knows what he's doing." Krippendorff believes Baker is "incredible" because of the emphasis he places on both physical fitness and mental preparation. Baker's first test comes today, when the Quakers travel to West Chester for a 4 p.m. contest against the Rams. Baker is no stranger to working with struggling teams -- he spent the last five years at North Carolina Wesleyan College where he transformed a weak squad into one of the nation's 10 best teams. Feeling he had accomplished his goals at Wesleyan, Baker decided to apply for the Penn job when Harvard coach Steve Locker –– who coached Baker at Otterbein –– informed him of an opening. "Based on what we've seen from last year, the first and foremost thing was to make sure the players were taken care of both on and off the field," Baker said. He promptly called a friend who works at Puma and supplied the team with new jerseys and shoes. His next task was to improve the morale. "Some players didn't understand their roles and responsibilities," Baker said. "We built up their confidence and got them to enjoy the game of soccer again. At the end of last year, that began to fade." The team had a hard time concentrating on soccer last year. Animosity developed between the players and the coaches. With Baker at the helm, the entire outlook has changed. "They see enthusiasm from their coach," Baker said. "That gives them the desire to do well." Baker's strategy on the field was to improve the defense. "We're trying to have an organized, controlled defense," Krippendorff said. "With that, everything up top will follow. We're trying to make the team more complete." With the enthusiasm and new strategies Baker brings to the Quakers, the outlook among the Penn women's soccer team has changed drastically. "We have a very optimistic group," Krippendorff said. "This season is our season to make ourselves known."

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