The youth movement in the Baker men's soccer camp is in full swing this season.
After losing 10 seniors from last year's Midwest Regional finals team -- including the program's all-time leading scorer in striker Rayburn Moore -- BU coach Ron Pulvers has placed his faith in a strong freshmen class to fill that void.
"I really like this group ... probably more than any group I've ever had," said Pulvers, who is in his fourth year as head coach. "Things have gone very well performance-wise for our team, but we haven't gotten the results that maybe we expected. I have no doubt that will come in time."
Pulvers remains optimistic despite a 4-3 overall record and 0-1 Heart of America Athletic Conference record going into today's conference game at Benedictine College in Atchison.
Much of the reason for that optimism is the fact that his young starting lineup -- which most recently consisted of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and four true freshmen -- is still learning how to play together.
"I don't like to make excuses for us by saying that we haven't won because we're a young team," said Pulvers, whose team has slipped from the national poll after being rated No. 14 in the preseason. "We'll put as many as seven freshmen on the field at one time, and that's a very different situation from what we've ever had before."
With so many freshmen playing a prominent role, Pulvers said that the leadership responsibilities of his seniors have taken on an added precedence.
Two of those seniors -- 6-foot-2, 175-pound defender Peter Lenz and 5-9, 155-pound midfielder David D'Ercole -- are graduates of Lawrence High. Lenz, who is tied for the team lead in scoring with two goals, shares co-captain duties with defender B.J. Blackwell, of Wichita.
"Those guys have all been extremely important to our team this season," Pulvers said.
As for life without Moore, who shattered Baker's all-time scoring mark with 85 goals in four seasons, Pulvers said he is enjoying his team's more controlled style of play this season.
Of Baker's 12 goals this season, only three players have scored more than one.
"We don't have a standout finisher but we have a balanced group," Pulvers said. "I'm very comfortable with the brand of soccer we're playing right now."
For now, Pulvers will look for improvement from his talented freshmen class -- including Kelly Wolverton, a high school All-American from Wichita Southeast, and forwards Bryan Elkan and Joe McArdle. Another freshmen, Chris Fuchsen, has started six games for the Wildcats while reserve Jason Bessey has subbed for an injured Lenz at defender.
"They've given us a lot of depth to work with," Pulvers said. "Anytime you bring in a lot of players who can contribute right away, having to find playing time for them is a good problem."
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Women's soccer: Bu senior midfielder Amy Taylor was named the HAAC's player of the week for last week. Taylor, a 5-foot senior from Shawnee, scored three goals and had one assist. The Baker women's team is 6-2 and will host Benedictine at 4 p.m. Thursday.
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Volleyball: Jessica Walters continues to excel. Walters, who was named player of the week for the second time last week, leads the league in kills per game with a 4.95 average. The volleyball team is 14-4 overall and 2-1 in the HAAC.
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Women's cross country: Sophomores Leisel Kirk and Morgan Ouimette placed third and fourth respectively at the Cardinal Invitational in Liberty, Mo. Kirk finished the 5,000-meter race with a time of 20:30 while Ouimette crossed the finish line seconds later. Baker finished second to Northwest Missouri State.
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