Based on the Quakers’ 2-7 start to the season, it may be hard to believe that sophomore Duke Lacroix and junior Steven Baker are the best forwards in the Ivy League.
Entering league play, however, coach Rudy Fuller still wholeheartedly believes that notion.
“I think that we have the two top forwards in the league, bar none,” Fuller said. “Just as long as they kept working hard, goals would come.”
Through the first four games of the season — in which Penn scored just five goals — Baker and Lacroix combined for 36 shots, but none found the back of the net.
“We had a ton of opportunities that we just weren’t putting away,” Baker said. “Quickly, we realized that we were the guys that the team is looking toward to score.”
Lacroix found the net sooner than Baker, notching two goals in as many games against tough Big East foes Villanova and Georgetown. This past weekend, Baker scored five goals, including four in one game against Rider.
In matches that have featured a goal from either player, the Quakers are 2-2. Otherwise, they’re 0-5.
While finding the net is a positive, the most important aspect of the forwards’ games have been the manner in which they’ve been scoring.
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“In the first six games, we were doing a lot of decent individual stuff, but we weren’t on the same page, we weren’t thinking as two strikers,” Baker said. “This weekend, we were finding each other, feeding off one another, staying connected.”
The forwards traded assists on two of the six goals for which they combined against Rider.
This weekend, the Quakers head to Ithaca to take on undefeated Cornell (8-0) on Saturday with an understanding of what needs to be done to compete in the Ivies: Baker and Lacroix must put their mark on the game, in any way possible.
“It starts defensively up top, coming from us,” Lacroix said. “It’s not just about what we can do offensively, we also need defensive output.”
In Fuller’s eyes, the most impressive play of last weekend — despite the barrage of goals scored — was one in which Lacroix fell back on defense to the midfield, where he stripped the ball and pushed it the other direction.
The forwards understand that as they go, the team goes. And they are up to the task.
“When we’re getting good offensive pressure, that takes pressure off of the defense and the midfield. If we don’t score,” Baker said, referring to himself and Lacroix, “then the team is playing for a tie.”
Last year, Baker and Lacroix experienced the harsh realities of Ivy League play, losing numerous games in the last minute, including a loss to the Big Red with just over a minute remaining.
“Every game is going to bring a different challenge,” Baker said. “Records are thrown out the window.”
That’s good news for the Quakers. The tough start to the season tested Lacroix and Baker, and now, with a clean slate, it’s time for them to show how much they’ve learned.
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