By: Connor Blake, Staff Writer
Emily Baker, captain of the Women’s soccer team and senior exercise science major from Brunswick, Maine has played a crucial role on and off the field this season. On the field she has earned Little East Conference (LEC) Defensive Player of the Week for the week of September 9th.
Her efforts have also helped the Huskies get off to a strong start going 4-2, three of the wins being shutouts in which Baker played a huge part of.
Baker, who started playing soccer at the age of three, has found a natural love and passion for the game that can be displayed anytime she’s on the field, “I love the team atmosphere, and the sense of accomplishment at the end of a game”. said Baker.
In Baker’s first season as captain, they broke a school record going 14-5-1. Now heading into her second season of being captain and her senior year of college, the team is ready to take the next step and so is Baker having scored her first ever career goal against University of Maine at Farmington, “I feel as though the team having success last year, has brought the team more momentum and we can see that in the way we practice and the way we play,” said Baker.
The presence of the senior captain can be felt all the way through the team. “Emily has been supportive of me from the start. She was the one who gave me a tour of the dorm buildings before school started, and she even met my family and ate lunch with us. Her support has meant a lot on the field as well as off the field.” said Grace Blackwell, a freshman with an undeclared major from Rockport, Maine.
The first things that come to mind when the teammates think of their senior captain is that “she’s very helpful and a great player, as well as a great team mom,” said Meghan Galante, freshman biology major from Epping, Newhampshire. As well as her helpfulness, “Emily, has been very accepting of us from the start of the school year, which has made me feel very comfortable on a brand new soccer team.” said Katie Lynch, freshman marketing major from Bellingham, Massachusetts.
While Baker excels on the field, she also does a lot off the field too. This past summer she got to work at Martins Point Health Care as a Clinical Quality Support Specialists. Working there has helped her on her way to graduating and beyond, “My goals are to go to graduate school, get a masters in public health but more specifically become an epidemiologist and one day become a medical director,” said Baker.
Some fun facts about Baker is that her favorite movie is Mamma Mia. Favorite author is Jodi Picoult, her favorite singer is Shania Twain which makes her favorite song an obvious one, “Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain. Her dad played division 1 hockey, her mom was a dancer, and her brother is currently on scholarship playing lacrosse at Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut.. When asked what her inspiration has been, she said “ My grandparents have inspired me all through life, and having parents with strong work ethic passed down has taught me to always work hard for what I love to do.”
That work ethic has paid off with some distinguished accomplishments. Baker is a three-time LEC all-academic-athlete and a William B. Wise scholar athlete with a 3.89 GPA. In addition to being smart in the classroom she also is going on her second year of being a resident assistant on campus, and she also does a lot of volunteer work raising over $5,000 for families affected by breast cancer.
As the final season and school year for Baker gets underway she will remember a few things. When it comes to soccer it has “given me a way to relax and really relieve my stress through some tough times,” said Baker. When it comes to the school, she will “remember the supportive role professors like Dr. Jeffery Murphy who helped her get setup for her internships, even after he has moved on from USM professionally,” said Baker.
The Huskies look to continue their success from last season as they have their next home game on Wednesday, September 25th against Wentworth at Hannaford Field at 4:00pm.