Jake Lysik signs autographs after a Steel City game in Joliet. (Photo by Jason Depenbrock)

Jake Lysik tried the business world after graduating from Aurora University.

But the Lincoln-Way Central graduate is a soccer player at heart, and he plans to stay in the game as either a player or a coach for as long as he can.

“I started working a desk job six month ago,” said Lysik, a 25-year-old finance major. “I loved the company I was with. But I just couldn’t sit still and be at a desk.”

Instead, Lysik is playing for Steel City, a Joliet-based team in the Midwest Premier League West Division that went 4-4-3 this summer.

He finished third in the league with seven goals only four years after being named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference’s defensive player of the year.

Lysik, who scored 40 career goals with 30 assists and was all-state at Lincoln-Way Central, is working on a getting a license so he can teach physical education and become a coach at the high school level.

Oh, and he wants to keep playing soccer for a few more years.

“I’ve always been obsessed with soccer,” Lysik said. “My whole life, my passion has been soccer. It’s been my No. 1 thing in life. I don’t have any other hobbies. It’s why I am pursuing that career path now and I want to play as long as I can.

“If I can play and still contribute to a team at this level, I want to keep doing it. Hopefully, when it’s my time to hang up the boots, I’ll be coaching for the long haul.”

Jake Lysik, 25, is a former Lincoln-Way Central soccer standout playing for Steel City. He wants to play and coach the sport as long as he can. (Photo by Danny Carlino)

Vincent Mkhwanazi, Lysik’s Steel City coach, sees positive traits.

“Personality-wise, he is a player that all coaches would love to have,” Mkhwanazi said. “He’s vocal. He’ll take responsibility not only himself but team-wise. He makes sure in warm-ups and games that we stay together.

“I don’t want to sound cliché, but he’s the captain that every coach dreams of. He will make a great coach.”

As a midfielder, the versatile Lysik knows he’s playing in a competitive league.

He continues to put in the same offseason work as he did in college when he attended Eastern Illinois for two years before transferring to Aurora after a coaching change.

“It’s a really good level of play,” Lysik said. “The Chicago House is strong. Milwaukee won multiple national championships.

“We have guys on our team that are still in college. I still have to push myself fitness-wise and push myself in the weight room. If I don’t, next May I will be in trouble.”

Steel City has quite a contingent of area players on the team.

Tinley Park native Matthew Ribbens, Andrew’s all-time leading scorer and Lincoln-Way East’s boys soccer coach, also is on the team.

Danny Mack, who graduated from Lincoln-Way North, is Chicago Christian’s boys soccer coach.

Frankfort’s Benji Chavolla is a former pro player from with the Chicago Storm who offers experience and wisdom to the younger players.

Kyle Seymour, Nolan McGrath and Danny Flores are Lincoln-Way West graduates on a roster that features Lincoln-Way Central’s Conner Erickson, Lincoln-Way East’s Sean Gavin, Lockport’s Jayson Iniguez, Rich South’s Nigel Dillard and Bremen’s Bruno Ortiz.

The team plays its home games at Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox and at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet.

Lysik said playing on the minor league baseball field, home of the Joliet Slammers, is special.

“We’ve had 400 people in the crowd there — it’s awesome,” Lysik said, “I look around sometime and I say, ‘Am I good enough to be playing here?’ I feel like I shouldn’t be.

“It’s very big and makes you feel like a professional team. It’s cool to play there.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.