Heading to the top

Kinga Szemik, a native of Pietrzykowice, Bielsko, Poland, and junior goalie for the UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team, had a dream of being a goalkeeper in the U.S. She worked hard to achieve her dream and is now a key component, not only for the Vaqueras, but also for the Polish Women’s National Soccer Team.

On Oct. 11, Szemik will return to Poland to play some friendly matches with the national team. However, the team is quite familiar with her because she had the opportunity to train with the team during the summer.

Szemik said she is excited to represent her country. 

“To be honest, I’m so excited, I’m so happy,” she said. “There is nothing better for an athlete than to be able to represent your country at the highest level in the world, and that’s just a dream come true.

“It came true to me and all I can do is keep working hard and just prove to all of them that I deserve to be there and I deserve to play.”

Szemik recalls running after a soccer ball since she began walking.

Her passion for the sport increased during her childhood because of her brothers, who were always playing soccer, and it is one of the most popular sports in Poland.

At 8 years old, Szemik joined her first soccer club, but it was not easy for her because the club was composed of an all-men’s squad.

She said playing with men had its ups and downs.

“It’s very interesting, actually, because when I look back at that experience I’m like, ‘Why did I keep on playing soccer?’” Szemik said. “It wasn’t easy because, especially at that age, boys are like, ‘Oh, what is she doing here? She’s a girl. Can she even kick a ball?’

“It took a lot of hard work and faith in myself to be able to stay there and just prove to them that I can do it and I can play as good as you are.”

Although it was difficult for Szemik to accept the criticism of the men, she said it did help her grow as a person.

“It made me a tougher athlete that is not afraid of challenges,” she said. “It also helped me improve as a person, I would say, because I am not the kind of person that would give up easily, you know?”

At age 12, Szemik first heard about a chance of coming to America and being able to play with a scholarship for a university. Since then, she kept the thought in the back of her head.

The biggest breakthrough in Szemik’s career was becoming the starting goalkeeper on the U-17 Polish National Team and winning a gold medal at the 2013 Union of European Football Association Women’s Under 17 Championship after defeating Sweden in the finals.

She said winning a gold medal was unbelievable. 

“That was amazing,” Szemik said. “First of all, we go to the finals. No one believed in us. We go there and there were such big teams to stand in front of and big opponents like Spain and Sweden, which are the best teams in Europe, so no one believed in us.

“The experience as a player is amazing, you know, like you’re the best in Europe in your age group. It was a big achievement for us as players, for us as people and also for us as a country because, you know, in Poland, they are still in the level where there is a lot of stereotype towards little girls playing soccer or, like, women and soccer in general.”

After winning the gold medal, Szemik went on to play with the U-20 National Team. During those years, she was a three-time honoree for Best Young Goalkeeper in the country.

She joined UTRGV’s soccer team in 2016 and finished the season ranked 41 in NCAA goals against average (1.005).

In 2017, Tylko Kobiecy Futbol, a major women’s soccer website in Poland, ranked her as the third-best Polish goalkeeper.

This season, Szemik has been named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week three times.

She has had quite the success, but her biggest goal is to one day play at the professional level. She would not mind playing for any team, but if she had to pick just one, it would be Orlando Pride of Orlando, Fla.

For now, Szemik’s primary focus is for the Vaqueras to win the WAC Championship.