Men's Soccer 10/22/2026 5:47:00 PM Athletics Communications

Tom Cosgrave Joins the 2026 Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame Class

JACKSON, Miss. - Tom Cosgrave helped keep opponents off the scoreboard throughout Belhaven's 2012 Men's Soccer National Championship run. He also supplied a goal on the biggest night of the season.

The senior defender headed in an Eduardo Cruz corner kick to give the Blazers a 2-0 lead over Mobile in the NAIA National Championship match on December 1, 2012. Belhaven protected that lead to claim the program's second national title and cap Cosgrave's four-year career.

Cosgrave will join the 2026 Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame class after helping lead one of the most successful teams in program history.

The Manchester, England, native played for the Blazers from 2009-12 and served as a captain on the championship team. He earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2012 and was named Defensive Player of the Tournament during Belhaven's title run.

The Blazers won five straight national tournament matches and outscored their opponents 13-3. Their defense recorded three shutouts, including clean sheets in the semifinals and championship match.

Belhaven defeated defending national champion Lindsey Wilson 1-0 in the semifinals on a goal by Cruz with 28 seconds remaining. The victory set up a championship meeting with a familiar opponent. Mobile had beaten Belhaven in three consecutive matches, including a 3-1 victory in Jackson earlier that season. The Blazers changed that result in Montgomery.

Victor Lawrence opened the scoring before Cosgrave doubled the lead with his fourth goal of the season. Cosgrave and the Belhaven defense then held Mobile scoreless despite the Rams' 21-12 advantage in shots.

The Blazers finished 19-4-1 and brought home the championship 20 years after the program's first national title in 1992.

Cosgrave still considers that night the highlight of his Belhaven career. He described winning the championship as "a memory I will never forget" in a 2025 alumni spotlight. His connection to the team has lasted well beyond his playing days. Cosgrave also spoke about the friendships he built through the daily routines of college soccer. "A lot of my former teammates are some of my lifelong friends I still speak to every day now," Cosgrave added in the spotlight.

He earned a degree in sports science at Belhaven and continued his career in coaching. He later led the men's and women's soccer programs at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and worked with youth players through Mississippi Rush.

Cosgrave currently serves as an assistant coach for the University of Louisiana women's soccer program.

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Players Mentioned

#16 Tom Cosgrave: D; Senior

Players Mentioned

#16 Tom Cosgrave
: Senior
: D

Players Mentioned

#16 Tom Cosgrave

Players Mentioned

#16 Tom Cosgrave