Cox stands tall for Harper men’s soccer team

Standing 6-feet-3 and weighing 230 pounds, Harper freshman Sean Cox is an imposing figure in goal for men’s soccer head coach Jason Diebold.

“To have a goalkeeper like that, I am fortunate,” said Diebold.

Despite his massive size, Cox was a lightly recruited prospect coming out of Conant, where he played for coach Jason Franco.

“I think talent-wise he can hold his on at a four-year school,” Diebold said. “He’s the best keeper I’ve ever had.”

Other programs in the area noticed, too, as Cox has earned all North Central Community College Conference honors, along with all-region honors.

An information security major, Cox would like to earn an internship with Argonne, then possibly a job with the technology giant.

But for now Cox is concentrating on Saturday’s regional semifinal at Joliet Junior College. It will be a pressure-filled game as both teams will be playing to extend their seasons, but Diebold will count on Cox to set a tone of control for the Hawks.

“Sean is very calm,” Diebold said. “He’s the type of guy ... when Sean speaks, people listen. His teammates have a lot of respect for him.”

Whether or not Diebold can keep his goalie past this season is still in question. No four-year schools have yet shown inetrest in Cox, but Diebold will try to enroll him in some goalie showcases in hopes of landing him a spot.

In any case, Cox isn’t certain that he wants to leave the Palatine campus, saying “I would like to stay at home.”

If Cox decides to come back for his sophomore season, Diebold says he’d, “love to keep him.”