No place like home: Baker returns to Whitley County to finish out soccer career

Abby Baker graduated in 2018 as the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the Corbin High School Lady Hounds soccer program. Traveling to Europe and having the chance to play internationally during her time at CHS, coaches and fans knew that she was destined to achieve big things in the sport at the next level, and so she has.

After leaving Corbin, Baker went on to play four years at Transylvania University in Lexington. Recruited as a midfielder, but making the move to forward, she ended up finishing as a first team All-Conference member four years in a row. She also served as a team captain her junior and senior seasons.

Because her junior year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Baker received an extra year of eligibility. Instead of remaining at Transy for one more go-around, she has instead decided to come home to Whitley County, and is currently finishing out her collegiate career at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg.

“My family was a big factor in me coming home,” Baker explained, saying that she really wanted to be close to her siblings again.

“My dream goal was initially to play professionally after college, and while I am not ready to completely leave soccer behind, I have decided that it is time to start thinking about beginning a new chapter in my life.”

Baker said that her new goals include working towards a physician’s assistant degree beginning next year, and also continuing to contribute to the sport that she loves as a coach, but there is still much work to be done this season before she completely shifts her focus.

Baker and the Patriots currently stand at 8-0-3 on the year with a conference record of 3-0-1. The team recently picked up back-to-back conference wins against Georgetown (4-0 on Sept. 28) and Shawnee State (2-0 on Oct. 1). With six regular season contests left on the schedule, the hope is to finish strong, and perform well enough in conference tournament play to host an early round game in this year’s NAIA National Championship Tournament.

As for making the transition from Transylvania (NCAA Div. III) to the Cumberlands, Baker said, “I have never been one to have trouble adjusting to new environments, but this has been somewhat difficult. I think it’s because, here, I am competing with a lot of international players. It has forced me out of my comfort zone in terms of the tempo and speed.”

This past summer, Baker received the opportunity to travel to Brazil. While there, she teamed with several All-Americans to take part in a short series of pro matches. The experience no doubt helped to prepare her for what awaited at UC this fall, but she says that she still has noticed a big difference in the overall level of play.

“It took me a little while to get adjusted,” Baker added. “But this is an unbelievable program. The girls are all crazy good. Adding that component of international play has definitely forced me to up my game.”

In the end, Baker said that she is just trying to get the most out of her final season as a collegiate soccer player. “This last year is all about self growth,” she explained. “I think I have grown a lot as a person, and I have enjoyed every second of it so far.”

The University of the Cumberlands women’s soccer team will host the University of Tennessee Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7:00 p.m. They will be at home again on Saturday, Oct. 8, facing Cumberland University, also out of Tennessee, at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, visit them online at cumberlandspatriots.com.