Former Franklin Regional teammates Justin LeDonne, Blake Cooper made formidable duo for Penn State Behrend men's soccer

Justin LeDonne and Blake Cooper played soccer at the same high school (Franklin Regional). They have continued to play together at the same college (Penn State Behrend). But as far as what they do on the field, their paths diverge.

LeDonne, a fifth-year senior, anchors the Lions defense. In fact, he was judged to be the best at what he does in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, earning the league’s co-defensive player of the year honor.

Cooper, two years younger, meanwhile, is the Lions’ catalyst on offense. Heading into Saturday’s ECAC semifinal against Alvernia, Cooper led Penn State Behrend with 11 goals. His efforts earned him a second consecutive first-team all-conference nod.

Together they helped the Lions finish second in the AMCC (7-1-1). During their three seasons together, Cooper and LeDonne have helped Behrend go 20-2-2 in the conference.

Coach Dan Perritano is effusive in his praise for the pair and the work they have done.

“(Justin) is an intelligent player who is a very good leader for us, and he has been for three years,” said Perritano, in his 30th season as PSB’s coach. “He doesn’t have great foot speed, but he makes up for it with a really intelligent style of play.

“Blake’s got great speed, and he times his runs well. He is very much a player who is committed to taking people 1 v 1.”

Though LeDonne and Cooper can lay claim to being part of the same successful Franklin Regional program, their playing time together for the Panthers was limited. Being two years older, LeDonne was an established varsity player by the time Cooper was a freshman, and they played together only periodically during LeDonne’s final two years of high school.

But they played together enough for LeDonne to recognize Cooper’s talent, and he was excited when Cooper joined him at Penn State Behrend. It wasn’t just the comfort of having a familiar face on the roster. It was knowing the kind of skill Cooper could bring to the team.

“He was on the field (at Behrend) right away, so it was nice to play on the field with him a lot more,” LeDonne said. “If you watch any soccer game, he’s probably the fastest guy on the field.

“He’s got a good touch, too. He can bring the ball down and move the ball quickly. He dribbles very fast, and his shot is also one of the big things for him. He can hit the ball harder than anybody else on the field.”

Cooper, meanwhile, said LeDonne was someone he looked up to in his younger years at Franklin Regional.

“He was a captain in high school, and he’s a captain now. He’s always been a good leader,” Cooper said.

In terms of their individual accolades, LeDonne admitted he was hoping to win the defensive player of the year award. The award was particularly satisfying considering LeDonne switched positions after his freshman season.

After spending the bulk of his time at Franklin Regional as a midfielder, LeDonne was moved to right back during his first season at Behrend. As he matured and bulked up during his first year in college, LeDonne seemed a better fit elsewhere, so Perritano moved him to center back for his sophomore season.

With his bigger frame and admitted lack of quickness, LeDonne said center back seemed like a perfect fit. Including the first round of the ECAC playoffs, he helped Behrend post 11 shutouts this season.

“When it comes to defense, I’m not the fastest guy on the field. I never was the fastest guy on the field,” he said. “So what I kind of had to work on was my defensive positioning and making sure I’m in the right spot at the right time.”

Cooper, meanwhile, has led the Lions in goals each of the past two seasons. Topping his team in goals was new for him.

Though he showed plenty of goal-scoring ability in high school, he was teammates with Anthony DiFalco, who scored 118 goals for the Panthers. Cooper has 23 goals for Penn State Behrend over the past two seasons, and he admitted there was a little pressure to have another big year scoring after posting 12 goals and earning first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore.

After delivering 31 points last season, Cooper headed into the Nov. 18 ECAC semifinal with 30 this season.

“I think I had a good season … probably my best season so far,” he said. “All thanks to my teammates. I couldn’t do it without them.”

His teammates are getting plenty of help from Cooper, too. After finishing second on the team in assists last season with seven, he has eight this season to lead the Lions.

“He draws a lot of attention,” Perritano said. “He’s dribbling into two, three guys, so he creates space for other players. He’s a much better passer of the ball, and he sees the game a lot faster than he did when he arrived.”

For all their individual accomplishments as teammates, Cooper and LeDonne fell short of sharing the ultimate goal: winning an AMCC title. LeDonne won as a freshman, but the Lions have come up short every season since.

This fall, PSB was upset by Alfred State, 2-1, in the AMCC semifinals. Cooper had the goal, but that was of little consolation, especially considering it was the last chance for his friend to lift the trophy.

“Obviously, it’s sad to see him go, especially not with the result that he wanted and that our whole team wanted,” Cooper said about LeDonne. “Last year he was debating whether he wanted to take his fifth year and continue to play this year. I’m just really glad he did. It’s a lot of fun playing with him, and I will definitely miss playing with him.”

LeDonne said he would have liked to win a couple more conference titles. None the less, he said he is happy with his college career and the numbers the program was able to achieve while he was there.

He also is confident the Lions can continues to be a force in the AMCC, and Cooper, he said, will be no small part of that next season.

“I do like where the program is at,” he said. “I feel like Perritano and (assistant Chris) Ralph do a good job recruiting guys for the program. They’ll be fine. Blake is going to have a great senior season, and he’s going to score a lot of goals for sure.”