Standing outside on a dreary Wednesday morning, junior Whitney Palmer has a calm demeanor after finishing another rigid practice.

For one thing, Palmer is glad to be back in the comforts of home as the Sooners return from a tough two weeks of road tests.

The Sooners tied with Middle Tennessee after a later rally to push them into overtime, where the scored remained 2-2 after 110 minutes. But the Sooners amassed two more losses against Vanderbilt and Lousiana State University before making their way back to Norman.

To a leader like Palmer, the team is always looking to move forward.

“We’re trying not to get down on ourselves,” Palmer said. “We played two really good teams. We just have to keep reminding ourselves we’re not out of it yet and we’ve got to get out of that mindset.”

The Sooners still have a tough schedule ahead of them, including facing the 2007 National Champions, the USC Trojans, this Sunday.

The Sooners leader said she is just ready to get back into a rhythm of playing at home and developing a chemistry with her team.

“The [team’s] chemistry is really good,” Palmer said. “The freshmen fit in well both on and off the field. We go to each other’s apartments and hang out and have fun.”

Fun is also a part of Palmer’s persona that she brings to the team. Palmer said she enjoys listening to music and her favorite song is ‘“One Time” by Justin Bieber, while her favorite movie is “Superbad”.

Whitney’s fun-loving attitude can also be found inside the locker room before every game.

“I always, always dance before every game.”

Palmer said her time playing OU soccer has been a life-changing experience.

She said she has thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and it has been interesting to see the transformation throughout the years.

But Palmer consistently stays humble, even though her jersey number is consistently the one to watch.

“It was a good win to come from behind 1-0,” Palmer said, when asked about how she felt when she scored her hat trick, the second ever in OU’s history. “It brought up our team and that’s what I always wanted to do.”

And this is just the kind of attitude the Sooners may need to help motivate them through the tough games ahead.

That night, the Sooners went on to beat in-state rival Tulsa 3-1, and Palmer found herself helping to boost her team to a 4-0 record at the time.

Will history repeat itself as the Sooners begin another four home game series? For the Sooners to win it will take some real leadership from Palmer on the field and off.