A former reserve goalie for the Virginia men’s lacrosse team, Jake Malasek is currently representing his country of Czechia in the 2025 European Lacrosse Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. Between working full-time at Barstool, Malasek has continued to find time to represent his country as his squad looks to qualify for the 2027 World Lacrosse Championships. 

For Malasek, his lacrosse career began out of necessity. He needed to play at least two sports at Exeter Academy in high school. This led him to add lacrosse with hockey as his primary sport, as he served as the back-up JV lacrosse goalie for two years before an injury that took him off the ice changed his outlook on lacrosse. 

“I exploded my hip during some training session, so hockey was probably pretty much done for me,” said Malasek. “For the next couple of years, I really turned my attention to playing lacrosse, and I played pretty much every day for two years in high school.” 

After high school, Malasek played lacrosse his freshman year at Trinity College before transferring to Virginia as a sophomore, intending to try and walk onto the team.

The summer after his freshman year of college, Malasek travelled to Netanyahu, Israel, to serve as an intern at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships. Malasek also possessed a Czech passport, and when he saw the Czech team, he sparked a conversation explaining to them that if they ever needed a goalie, they should give him a call. 

A brief conversation led to a wealth of opportunities for Malasek as he debuted for the Czech Republic in the summer of 2019, helping the Czech Republic earn a bronze medal at the 2019 U-20 European Championships.  

Years later, Malasek is now playing in his fourth tournament, the 2025 European Lacrosse Championships, with the primary goal of qualifying for the 2027 World Lacrosse Championships, which features a smaller field this time around. If Malasek and Co. want to qualify, they must be in the top seven to secure a bid in Japan in 2027.

In the group stage, the Czech Republic posted a 3-1 record with wins over Poland (10-9), Spain (13-5), and Ukraine (18-3) and their lone loss to Germany (11-9). Malasek posted 23 saves and a 50 save percentage through group play while appearing in three games. In the opening game against Poland, Malasek also posted a massive hit on a fast break, a play that went viral in the lacrosse community. 

Probably the best hit I’ve made in any athletic competition in my life.

If any NFL teams are looking for a middle linebacker please hit my line. pic.twitter.com/WbMgU9gXJa

— Jake Malasek (@jakemalasek) July 10, 2025

“If I don’t go, it’s basically a free goal for them… so I made the split-second decision and just went for it, and luckily I stayed on my feet,” said Malasek. 

While with the team, Malasek has enjoyed bonding with teammates, most of whom are from Radotín, a small town near Prague known for box lacrosse. The team also boasts a wide age range, with a 16-year-old and a 45-year-old. 

During the two-week tournament, the team has made the most of their downtime by organizing a tournament of their own—this one played virtually on EA Sports’ soccer video game, commonly known as FIFA.

The Czech boys have set up a 2v2 Fifa tournament round robin style that they like to play during tournaments on the road.

I have offered up $100 USD to the winning duo to up the stakes.

Very intense. pic.twitter.com/EDCgd5sd9a

— Jake Malasek (@jakemalasek) July 11, 2025

“You get a random teammate, random teams, and you play a round robin, and the top four make the semifinals. My teammate is the 16-year-old kid Matyáš Knotek, and we are 3-1 through group play,” said Malasek. 

Malasek and Czechia return to action on Tuesday, July 14th, against Wales at 1 pm EST. The game can be streamed on LaxTV.

While at Virginia, Malasek attempted to walk-on to the lacrosse team, but with four goalies already on the roster, there was no room. Despite no firm roster spot, Malasek was asked to serve on an as-needed basis in the fall of his sophomore and junior years (2018-19), continuing to stay in form as a goaltender and helping the team as needed.

Malasek also helped produce content for the team during his third and fourth years, which led him to his current job at Barstool Sports, where he currently serves as Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden’s right-hand man. 

I can’t believe this is a real photo. pic.twitter.com/8pTUlbyWQE

— Jake Malasek (@jakemalasek) May 6, 2025