Army West Point Athletics
Kelly Cooper Named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
September 01, 2025 | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army West Point Men's Soccer captain Kelly Cooper was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
Cooper, a junior from Atlanta, played a crucial role in Army's scoreless draw against Marist on Thursday night. The Black Knights found themselves down a man for the majority of the second half and down two men for the final 12 minutes. Cooper held down the backline and helped ensure that Army left its first road contest with a point.
In addition to his strong defensive effort, Cooper had one of the best scoring chances of the night, as he nearly found the back of the net on a corner opportunity with just under nine minutes to play. Cooper has played 90 minutes in all three of the matches this season.
"Kelly did a great job through difficult circumstances and showed relentless competitiveness along with the rest of the group to keep a shutout," head coach Brian Plotkin said.
This is the player of the week honor since Kasem Minzey was named Rookie of the Week on Sept. 2, 2024.
Army is back in action on Friday night as it welcomes Temple to Malek Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Soccer on X @ArmyWP_MSoccer and on Instagram @armywp_msoccer. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about Men's Soccer and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Patriot League Honors – Sept. 1
Offensive Player of the Week- Troy Elgersma, American
Midfielder of the Week- Pharis Petrica, Boston University
Defensive Player of the Week- Kelly Cooper, Army West Point
Goalkeeper of the Week- Eric Widrick, Colgate
Rookie of the Week- Luciano Larrea, Lehigh
Honorable Mentions
Andrew Schug, Navy
Aidan Wright, Colgate
Yusef Gueye, Lehigh
Sam Davis Lehigh
Liam Winograd, Colgate
Ben Alexander, Boston University
Freddie Lapworth, Bucknell
Cole Ramey, Colgate
Cooper, a junior from Atlanta, played a crucial role in Army's scoreless draw against Marist on Thursday night. The Black Knights found themselves down a man for the majority of the second half and down two men for the final 12 minutes. Cooper held down the backline and helped ensure that Army left its first road contest with a point.
In addition to his strong defensive effort, Cooper had one of the best scoring chances of the night, as he nearly found the back of the net on a corner opportunity with just under nine minutes to play. Cooper has played 90 minutes in all three of the matches this season.
"Kelly did a great job through difficult circumstances and showed relentless competitiveness along with the rest of the group to keep a shutout," head coach Brian Plotkin said.
This is the player of the week honor since Kasem Minzey was named Rookie of the Week on Sept. 2, 2024.
Army is back in action on Friday night as it welcomes Temple to Malek Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Soccer on X @ArmyWP_MSoccer and on Instagram @armywp_msoccer. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about Men's Soccer and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Patriot League Honors – Sept. 1
Offensive Player of the Week- Troy Elgersma, American
Midfielder of the Week- Pharis Petrica, Boston University
Defensive Player of the Week- Kelly Cooper, Army West Point
Goalkeeper of the Week- Eric Widrick, Colgate
Rookie of the Week- Luciano Larrea, Lehigh
Honorable Mentions
Andrew Schug, Navy
Aidan Wright, Colgate
Yusef Gueye, Lehigh
Sam Davis Lehigh
Liam Winograd, Colgate
Ben Alexander, Boston University
Freddie Lapworth, Bucknell
Cole Ramey, Colgate
Players Mentioned
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