PALATINE, Ill. – There was a moment
Sean Cox (Schaumburg, Ill., Conant) realized he might have a future in soccer, and it happened pretty quickly. Playing for FC Tokoto in a tournament called CSK College Search Kickoff in June of 2011, Cox was doing what countless of other soccer players were doing across Illinois, across the United States and across the world: trying to get noticed.
At Conant High School, Cox played goalkeeper on under-level teams his first two seasons and was on the junior varsity squad as a junior, so he didn't exactly have much to show college coaches. But after he made a few saves on penalty kicks in the first game of the tournament, things changed. Coaches started to take notice, and Cox did too. Not long after, Cox began receiving calls from college coaches.
After playing out his senior year as the starting goalkeeper for the Cougars and earning the team's Most Improved Player award, Cox decided the best place for him to go was Harper College, and the men's soccer team is sure glad that he did. Cox has continued to improve and grow as a player and the Hawks are reaping the benefits. As the last line of defense, Cox has been a stabilizing force all year long for the Hawks and his performance has resulted in him being named Harper College's seventh Athlete of the Week.
Cox, who was also heavily recruited by Wisconsin Lutheran, has started every game in goal this season but one and is allowing less than two goals per game. His ability is one reason that Harper (3-10, 3-5 N4C) have made big strides this year and challenged the nation's best, like in narrow losses to #9 Anoka Ramsey Community College and #12 South Suburban College (Div. II).
“He's one of the best goalkeepers that we have had in my 12 years at Harper College,” said head coach Jason Diebold. “He's a quality goalkeeper and we're fortunate to have him. He's very humble and down to earth.”
Cox has worked hard to improve his game and has seen results. At Carthage College's soccer camp before his senior year of high school, he was named the Most Valuable Goalkeeper out of about 50 goalies. He excelled at the back-to-the-bar drill where someone stands past the 6' and the goalie must run out, touch the ball and then deflect the ball over the goal on the way back. Situations like that come naturally to Cox, and when he is on the field in real games, his instincts take over.
“As a forward up until eighth grade, I try to put myself in their shoes and think about what I would do,” Cox said. “That helps because I can predict where the ball is going a lot better. Knowing that, and what foot they are, it really helps out.”
And it's not just about making saves. Cox enjoys being involved in all aspects of the game, whether it's communicating to the rest of the team where certain players are on the field or starting the attack with a punt downfield.
“If there is a teammate open on the sideline, I'm really good at getting it there,” Cox said. “You really have to adjust to the wind. I always look at the flag to see where it's blowing. Sometimes I punt it as hard as I can and we get opportunities.”
At six-foot-three, Cox uses his height to his advantage on chip shots and fast breaks and has no problem getting strikes to the upper-90.
“He reads the game very well and reacts to the game very well,” Diebold said. “And he's quick. His size obviously helps him and what he does. He has very good control of his area.”
The Hawks had a difficult start to the season. The team lost its' first four games of the 2012 campaign and was outscored 11-1. One possible explanation for the rough start was that the team returned none of the 2011 squad and basically started from scratch this season.
“At the beginning, we didn't really know each other,” Cox said. “But throughout the year, we have been getting to know each other. We are really good friends. We are coming close, and every game is right there.”
Looking ahead, Cox has plans of majoring in information security, which is a branch of computer science. He envisions a job involving coding, so when people try to hack into websites, they run into a firewall created by Cox to protect the site. Lewis University offers the program and Cox would have to do three more years after Harper to earn the degree. In addition, Cox has already had a tryout with the Lewis team and met with the coaches, so he may have a chance to continue his career there.
But for now, Harper begins postseason play in the Region IV semifinals at Joliet Junior College. The Wolves beat the Hawks 4-0 on Aug. 29 and 2-0 on Sept. 21. But that doesn't mean Harper plans on going quietly.
“We came close to beating Triton and Joliet, the two top seeds,” Cox said. “Getting out of this region is tough. The records don't show it but all of the teams are pretty much equal. Anyone can pull an upset and make a run.”
