SPSCC announces new women’s soccer head coach  

South Puget Sound Community College announced on its website Tuesday that the school has hired Lee Baker as the new head coach of the Clippers Women’s Soccer Team. 

Baker will replace the outgoing Rebecca Mader. He was an assistant coach on her staff and will take over the women’s soccer program starting in August. 

“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,” said an ecstatic Baker when asked for his reaction to landing the program’s top job. 

Baker is an alum of the college and a native of Lacey, where he played soccer at River Ridge High School before being recruited for the Clipper’s men’s soccer program. He played collegiate soccer for SPSCC for two years. 

He remained tied with the local soccer community after college and played amateur soccer for teams like the Lacey Pocket Gophers and the Lacey Lights FC (now Artesians II). He later shifted to coaching after his return to his alma mater as assistant coach of the nascent women’s soccer program. He has coached in the Lady Clippers program since its inception in 2021. 

Asked about his expectations for the squad with which he has worked for the past three years, Baker reassured fans that the team will never stop growing and improving in the sport. 

“My expectation of this team is to have a positive culture and work ethic. Winning will be a natural byproduct of that," declared Baker. 

Baker will take over and rebuild the women’s soccer program which finished last in the Northwest Athletic Conference last year, winning zero games and only mustering one draw out of 12 matches.