South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) is proud to announce the hiring of Lee Baker as the new Clipper Women’s Soccer Head Coach. Baker served as the Assistant Coach for the women’s team and will take over the program after the departure of former Head Coach, Rebecca Mader.
When asked about his feelings about leading the program, Baker said, “I'm extremely excited for this opportunity. I’ve been with this program since its birth, so the fact I can continue to grow this into something great gives me all the joy in the world. My goal is to bring championships to the Olympia area.”
Baker is local to the South Puget Sound area, growing up in Lacey where he attended River Ridge High School. At River Ridge, he played soccer during all four years. From there, Baker was recruited to play soccer for the SPSCC Men’s Soccer program, playing two years of collegiate soccer from 2013-14.
Growing strong ties within the local soccer community, Baker took part in growing two semi-professional teams in the area while playing in different leagues. From there, he transitioned into coaching, where he was hired as the Assistant Coach for his alma mater’s women’s soccer program. He has the distinction of being involved with the program since its inception in 2021.
Having experience with this group of players and the program overall, Baker was asked whether he would take this year to get settled into this position or if he thinks that team can hit the ground running with his leadership. “I believe it’s a mix of both. We never stop growing and improving in this sport. My expectation of this team is to have a positive culture and work ethic; winning will be a natural biproduct of that,” said Baker.
SPSCC is excited to have Coach Baker take command of the women’s soccer program and looks forward to the growing success of the program. SPSCC would also like to thank outgoing Head Coach Becca Mader for establishing the foundation for the program. Clipper Athletics recognizes her hard work and dedication to the college, where she served as the Health and Wellness Operations Manager and the Head Coach of the women’s soccer team. The college wishes her the best in her future endeavors.