By Becca Romo

Sports Editor

Originally from Berlin, Germany, Niklas Körber, senior forward for the CSU Bakersfield men’s soccer team scored himself the title of Athlete of the Week. He scored a goal against St. Mary’s in the 83^rd minute of the game on Friday, Sept. 13^th.

As a senior, Körber has had eight total goals scored so far since starting his collegiate athletic career at CSUB. He is still counting on scoring more before the season ends.

Körber began playing soccer at a very young age. By the age of five, he was on his first team.

“My dad put me into a club, and from there on I just continued playing,” he said.

Playing soccer, also known as football in Germany, is very common for Körber and his family. His younger brother, Nils Körber, plays the position of goalkeeper for football club VfL Osnabrück.

He had a few surprising moments when first arriving to CSUB. “The rules are different here,” said Körber. He explains that the rules for playing soccer in the United States are different than in Germany.

What motivated Körber to continue playing soccer was being around his friends and having fun.

But not only was it all fun and games for Körber, he also enjoyed the competitive aspect of playing a sport. “Just to be able to compete and to win, I think that was big for me,” he said.

One of his best moments playing soccer at CSUB was recently winning a game after a losing streak. He said it felt “pretty good” to win with his teammates. He is hoping for more monumental moments this season.

Richie Grant, head coach for men’s soccer, says that Körber is an outstanding performer. “Over the course of the season, he is really playing like a senior that has experience and looks like a man that wants the outcome to be different for our program,” said Grant.

Körber enjoys the friendships he has developed over the years with the past and current teammates he’s had. “We hang out with each other, even though we see each other every day,” he said. Even now, he keeps in touch with a lot of his teammates who have already graduated.

Along with soccer, Körber is studying for a degree in psychology. Although he said he hopes to continue playing soccer after graduating, he finds psychology interesting, and hopes to combine sports and psychology in the future.

Körber knows the bittersweet feeling of it being his last season at CSUB, but he is hopeful about this season being great for him and his teammates. “Try to make the best of it with the team, and hopefully we are going to be successful together.”