Even though the California University of Pennsylvania Men’s Soccer team did not get the result they wanted in their playoff match against Slippery Rock University, Lubos Kubik would not change a thing about his senior season. Kubik, who will graduate in May with a degree in sports management, had a PSAC high of 10 assists and two goals this season for the Vulcans.

     Despite the Vulcans did not make it far into the playoffs, Kubik said the experience was worth all the hard work. “From the preseason till the last game against Slippery Rock it was a great experience and I enjoyed every single day with this group,” Kubik said. The team fell to Slippery Rock on November 3rd by a score of 1-0. “It was going to be a battle because Slippery Rock is not very far from us so we consider it as our rivals,” Kubik said. “But I think we stood up well and fought hard as a team. Unfortunately we didn’t get to leave the field as winners.”

     Besides the playoff run, Kubik noted that his highlights of the season were beating rival Seton Hill 5-0 at the beginning of the season and beating Lock Haven University on senior day by a score of 5-1. Another highlight for Kubik was the team itself. “Everything we did on the field and outside the field we did it together as a team and I can easily say even though we didn’t make it as far as we wanted to we became a great group, I would almost say that we became a family.”

Kubik expanded on the idea of possibly playing professionally. Kubik’s father, Lubos Kubik Sr., played professionally in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Chicago Fire for two years and with the Dallas Burn for one year as a defender. Another feat the senior Kubik accomplished was being an assistant coach on the United States Men’s National Team.

     Kubik explained that he wanted to follow in his father’s steps. “My father was a phenomenal player and he set the bar really high for me, but I hope that one day I can play in the MLS like my father did, but I will have to take it step by step and work really hard. After graduation my dream is to play professionally and hopefully one day I could at least play in the league as my father did.” Kubik has gained experience in playing on a club by playing for the Des Moines Menace in Iowa, a semi-professional club in the Premier Development League (PDL).

    Before any professional soccer occurs, Kubik has his sights set on graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in May. However, he’s already said some goodbyes at Cal U, mostly to his teammates. “The “goodbyes” from my teammates and coach were little bit emotional, especially with my fellow seniors.” Lastly, Kubik mentioned that he wanted to thank the university and thank former coach Dennis Laskey and current coach Emedin Sabic for “giving me this opportunity.”