Sunna Baig thought she was ready for the rough-and-tumble world of women's collegiate soccer when she enrolled at Rutgers-Newark nearly four years ago.
 
Having come from a highly competitive high school program like South Brunswick and having enrolled in the prestigious R-N business school, Baig felt like she was ready to take on any challenge.
 
"I really wanted to play soccer in college," Baig said. "I chose Rutgers-Newark for a number of reasons. The business school was very reputable and I wanted to go to a school with a city environment. Plus, I really liked the diversity of the school."
 
Baig's parents are both from Pakistan. She was born in Cleveland, but moved to New Jersey when she was just a toddler.
 
Baig began to play soccer when she was six years old and she was always a shut-down center back. She had a fine career at South Brunswick and was spotted by then-assistant coach Ariana Ruela, who helped to convince Baig to come to R-N.
 
"Ariana Ruela came to my last state tournament game and that made me feel good that a program really wanted me," Baig said. "It made me feel good that all the hard work, all the time I put into playing soccer in tournaments all across the country had paid off. It was rewarding to get recruited by Rutgers-Newark."
 
But as it turned out, Baig wasn't really ready for college life.
 
"She didn't have the maturity yet," said Ruela, who was soon elevated to the position of head coach during Baig's freshman year. "Her head wasn't all there and into it. She had to endure some trials and tribulations."

Baig admits that she was just not as focused as she should have been as a freshman.
"I struggled my freshman year," Baig said. "I had a hard time balancing school with soccer and having a social life and it ended up costing me."
 
It ended up with Baig being sent to the sidelines, more as a wake-up call than anything else.
"As it turned out, I lost my starting spot," Baig said. "I had to work hard to get the respect of my teammates. It was a big learning experience for me."
 
Baig began to take things a lot more seriously – her school work, her time on the soccer field – and turned her life around.
 
"I was ready to grow up," Baig said. "From the mentality aspect more than anything, I had to change."
 
"After that experience, her intensity increased," Ruela said. "She had the desire to be all in. I was excited for her."
 
Then, adversity struck again, this time in the form of a devastating injury.
 
In the final practice before the 2016 season opener, Baig planted her knee funny.
"The whole leg gave out," Baig said. "I thought I dislocated my knee. I didn't know. I thought I would be out a couple of weeks."

As it turned out, Baig suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a torn meniscus and a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL).
 
"My knee was a mess," Baig said. "When it happened, I heard it pop. It was devastating to me to hear that I tore my ACL. I was really determined and ready to start the season. I was lifting and working out. I was so excited to start the season and then I blew out my knee. I was upset at the whole world. I wondered, 'Why me?' I had to deal with what happened."
 
Ruela really didn't know what to expect from Baig. She messed around as a freshman and was now losing her entire sophomore year due to injury.
 
"The only way to get our confidence back was to work through it," Ruela said. "I think it really fueled the fire in her. She had what it took mentally to be a player for us."
 
Baig rehabilitated the knee religiously with Rutgers-Newark head athletic trainer Brian Fanning.
 
"I was so determined to come back," Baig said. "I was doing physical therapy seven days a week. Brian would tell me that I had to take a rest, that I had to take a day off. But I was extremely motivated to get back with my teammates."
 
So Baig trudged through the grueling eight-month physical therapy sessions with one goal in mind – to get back onto the field for the Scarlet Raiders.
 
"For the first three months, it was really hard," Baig said. "I was crying every single day for a month. It was very painful. The rehab was really hard. I wanted to regain full range of motion. I was able to get passed the hard part. I was more than willing to push myself through it."
 
Baig first wore a brace to protect the repaired knee, but soon discarded it.
 
"She hated wearing the brace," Ruela said. "After a while, after she was out of the brace, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was even injured.  I really think it changed her whole mentality and gave her a new look on the things she wants to achieve and the amount of work needed to achieve them."
 
Baig ended up playing a team-high 1,682 minutes last year as a center back for the Scarlet Raiders, who finished a respectable 9-10-1. Baig played in all 20 matches, starting 19.
 
Baig also dedicated herself in the classroom.
 
"I was taking six or seven classes a semester," said Baig, who earned a spot on the Dean's list last year. "I was super determined to get my grades up."
 
Baig also secured an internship with Graybar Electric Company, Inc., an electrical communication and distribution equipment firm. Baig worked in Graybar's Teterboro, N.J. offices, learning a lot about the supply chain industry, which is her major at R-N.
 
"It was tremendous," Baig said. "I worked writing quotes for customers and cell manufacturers. I learned about the whole general operation how Graybar works. I learned a lot about the industry."
 
Baig also traveled to St. Louis to Graybar's headquarters to meet with the 28 other interns nationwide. She met with Graybar CEO Kathy Mazzarella and talked of ideas that would best benefit Graybar in the future.
 
"It was an awesome experience," Baig said. "I got to meet all the other interns from all over the country. It was really cool."
 
And when the internship was over, Baig was ready to come back to join the Scarlet Raiders for her senior year.
 
"She's one of the strongest students on the team," Ruela said. "She's really become an impact player for us. I'm counting on her to lead the back line this season and she's doing a great job of that. It's great to see her interact with the younger players. She's taken on more of a responsibility."
 
The Scarlet Raiders recently began their 2018 season against Lehman College in the Bronx and at SUNY Cortland Sunday.
 
"I'm now doing the things I love to do," Baig said. "Going to school and playing soccer. I'm going to make this the best year yet. I want us to be over .500 and perhaps make the NJAC playoffs."
 
Ruela knows that Baig can be a top-flight performer.
 
"She can hit an accurate long ball," Ruela said. "When she needs to step up, she's ready. She's comfortable carrying the ball out of the back. She has a good eye for the game and a good understanding of the back line. She builds our attack and definitely adds to it."
 
Baig will have another year of eligibility remaining, but she more than likely will graduate in the spring and look to pursue a job in her field.
 
"I definitely want to start working," Baig said. "And later on, I'd come back and get my MBA (Master's in Business Administration). This is my last year of soccer. I feel it's in my best interest to graduate and focus on my career."
 
Ruela was asked if she was surprised how Baig's career has experienced the peaks and valleys.

"I'm not surprised," Ruela said. "I think she always had this potential. I think she's finally tapped into the potential. I'm excited to see how it all translates on the field."
 
"I never would have expected it to have the ups and downs like this," Baig said. "I had the tough time freshman year, then I tear up my knee. I had some bumps in the road, but it's safe to say I took a turn for the better."