Ken Cooper Named 2008 Summit League Tournament MVP
11/17/2008 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Rochester, Mich. -- On the strength of a pair of outstanding performances in UMKC's two matches, sophomore Ken Cooper was named the 2008 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship MVP on Sunday. Cooper was joined on the all-Tournament team by Brian Harris, Bryan Perez and John Bayron Sosa.
The St. Louis, Mo., native recorded 16 saves in two overtime matches for the Kangaroos, and stopped Piotr Nowak's shot during the penalty shootout to give the Blue-and-Gold a 4-3 win. This marks the second consecutive all-Tournament team nod for the sophomore, as he was also selected to the best XI in 2007.
Harris earns his first all-Tournament team nod after scoring the game-tying goal for the Kangaroos in Sunday's championship match. The Edwardsville, Ill., native powered a shot through substitute goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt's hands in the 68th minute, also converting his chance in the penalty shootout.
Perez picks up his first all-Tournament team nod as well after scoring the game-winning goal in UMKC's semifinal win over Western Illinois, while Sosa rounds out the squad after providing the assist on Perez's goal.
The complete all-Tournament team is listed below.
2008 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship all-Tournament TeamPerez Agaba, IUPUI, Fr., F
Jona Andrade, Western Illinois, Sr., MF
John Bayron Sosa, UMKC, So., MF
Ken Cooper, UMKC, So., GK (MVP)
Ian Daniel, Oakland, Sr., D
Brian Harris, UMKC, Sr., F
Weston Hawkins, IUPUI, So., D
Gabe Hernandez, Oakland, Sr., MF
Nikola Katic, Western Illinois, Sr., MF/D
Piotr Nowak, Oakland, Sr., MF
Bryan Perez, UMKC, Jr., MF
