Baldwin seeks quick turnaround
The start to the Baldwin girls’ soccer season has not gone as planned as the Bruins are off to a 1-6-1 start and winless in Conference 3 at 0-4-1.
Coach Lee Rogers attributes part of the rough beginning to a host of players giving up travel soccer in the offseason. Hence, early-season conditioning was an issue.
But there is one silver lining amidst the disappointing record and that’s the sterling play of junior goalkeeper Dee Ikechukwu, one of two players who kept up playing travel soccer.
In the seven games she’s played, Ikechukwu has logged 77 saves. In the lone game Ikechukwu missed, Baldwin allowed a whopping five goals.
“(Seventy seven) saves is a great accomplishment but I feel I can do better,’’ Ikechukwu said. “I still want to push myself to do more.’’
Ikechukwu has been a starter since eighth grade and plans to play in college. The difference between her demeanor from now and then is remarkable. “I feel like I improved my communication since eighth grade,’’ Ikechukwu said. “I was scared to speak then because all the girls were a lot older than me. It’s easy to do now and I talk a lot on field and on the sidelines.’’
Last season’s Baldwin record was a solid 6-2-6 with the goalie playing a large role in Baldwin’s success.
“She comes up with tremendous saves,’’ Rogers said. “Every coach tells me after the first 30 minutes, “Wow, that’s some goalkeeper you got there”.”
There are 10 seniors on the team but Baldwin suffered a major blow when star midfielder Anabelle Lopez tore her ACL playing lacrosse in the offseason and is out for the year.
Rogers admits the bad luck about Lopez but also laments some of his players stopped playing soccer year-round – which he deems important in building a powerhouse high-school program.
The two leading offensive threats are midfielder Elizabeth Hill, who has 2 goals and 3 assists, and freshman forward Maliah Robinson (3 goals, 2 assists. The latter was brought up as an eighth grader and played a role in 2023. Rogers is excited about her potential.
Baldwin’s lone victory was a non-league 7-1 rout of Freeport. Though it hasn’t won in conference action, the Bruins fought to a 2-2 draw versus Kennedy though they lost a lead with 50 seconds left.
On Sept.. 17, the Bruins lost, 1-0, to St. Francis – the second 1-0 loss of the season. “I feel like we haven’t started the year the best but I think lately we’re getting cloer to the results we wants,’’ Ikechukwu said.
The key defenders are junior Akua Bonsu and senior Haiti Vann. Averi Thomas, a midfielder, is the other player aside from Ikechukwu who plays on a club squad.
The good news is parity in the conference has left Baldwin still in a postseason hunt, though it’s a longshot.
“We’re hoping to turn things around but we just got off on the wrong foot,’’ said Rogers, in his fifth season as Baldwin coach. “Hopefully our form improves toward the end of season and we are playing our best for the playoffs. A lot of the teams fortunately in the same conference haven’t won a lot either.’’
