Senior forward Stas Korzeniowski poses next to the goalpost on Sept. 17.
Credit: Weining DingOn the evening of Dec. 19, 2023, Penn men’s soccer senior Stas Korzeniowski was standing in his kitchen with his family awaiting the results of the MLS SuperDraft 2024. He refreshed the website, and “Philadelphia Union” came up on the page — followed by his name.
“It was just a surreal feeling,” Korzeniowski recalled. “It’s one of my favorite memories because going professional never felt like a tangible thing that I could reach for.”
For Korzeniowski, it was the culmination of years of hard work: He had played soccer ever since his “little body was able to function like that.” Although he grew up playing a variety of sports, including swimming and ice hockey, he ultimately chose soccer because of his natural love for the game. But that love did not always translate to attention from others.
Senior forward Stas Korzeniowski poses with a ball on Sep. 17.
Korzeniowski’s recruiting journey fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, and although he had gotten looks from several Ivy League schools before the pandemic hit and ultimately was able to commit to Penn, college ball wasn’t always in the cards for him. As a freshman in high school, he recalled being “on the shorter side” and not playing as much as he wanted to.
“Sophomore year, I kind of burst and started to figure myself out, soccer-wise,” Korzeniowski said. “I started to get bigger and started to figure out how to use my body and how to adapt to my position and got faster and stronger. College became more of a legitimate option for me, and it really helped me and put me in a better position to strongly consider Division I soccer.”
When he arrived at Penn, however, Korzeniowski found the team in “rough” shape. He explained that the culture of the group was not very inviting, especially for an intimidated freshman trying to find his feet.
Over time, however, Korzeniowski and his teammates changed the dynamic — a shift that also resulted in a change on the field.
Senior forward Stas Korzeniowski poses on Sep. 17.
“During my freshman spring, the group really came together in a really good way that allowed us to start winning games and to really enjoy each other's company,” Korzeniowski said. “We fostered a really inviting, warm culture that also bred success — tangible success.”
The Quakers were champions of the Ivy League during that 2022 season, culminating in clinching a win over Princeton when the Quakers stormed the field and celebrated in each other’s arms, an emotional moment that Korzeniowski said “showed how much it meant to [them].”
After starting all 18 matches as a sophomore, Korzeniowski was named second team All-American, Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, and first team All-Ivy — a barrage of awards that only signaled the further success to come.
The summer before his junior year, Korzeniowski made a name for himself in the semi-professional league United Soccer League Two. While playing for Ballard FC in Seattle, he scored 19 goals in 16 games and — along with Penn soccer seniors Leo Burney and Charlie Gaffney — won the national championship for the summer league.
“That also helped me get some good exposure,” Korzeniowksi said of the experience. “I started to build a brand for myself, started to build an image and I think that had quite an impression that stirred up some interest amongst these professional teams.”
He was right: Halfway through his junior year, Korzeniowski was drafted as the No. 53 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft to the Philadelphia Union.
Senior forward Stas Korzeniowski poses with a soccer ball on Sep. 17.
“Being drafted showed me there is some potential for me in this career path,” Korzeniowski said. “I was like ‘yeah, this is something I really want, and I’m very hungry for.’”
Although he didn’t reach some of his personal goals during his junior year due to a wrist injury that left him in a hard cast for the whole season, Korzeniowski still praised the year Penn men’s soccer had: not only winning the Ivy League regular season title, but also the continued improvement in team culture that kept growing and becoming “really connected as a family.”
Despite the injury, he received a list of accolades last year, including being named to the second team All-Ivy. But when he looks back on his career, it’s the change in Penn’s culture that Korzeniowski feels proudest of.
“I’ve been a part of the process where I’ve seen it at its worst, but I’ve also seen it at its best,” Korzeniowski said. “That’s just been an incredibly rewarding thing to witness firsthand: to know the change that we’ve implemented, to know that we’ve affected the legacy of this program and hoping that it carries the change forward moving forward."
“The care, the kindness, the thoughtfulness, the generosity, the work ethic … I love that balance of having great quality relationships with them but then also taking care of business on the field going to war.”
So far this season, Penn men’s soccer is 5-1-1 and sits at No. 20 in the national poll. With the experience and leadership he’s gained from the past three years, Korzeniowski is ready to make his last year in the Red and Blue count.
“I want to go out with a bang senior year and to leave it all out there,” Korzeniowski said. “No regrets, to feel fulfilled, to know that I gave it my best and helped this program during the time I was here — leave a legacy.”
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