Navy’s Chiara Cosenza Earns NAAA Athlete of the Week Honors After Huge Opening Week
Navy women’s soccer senior forward Chiara Cosenza opened the 2026 season by making her presence felt all over the field, and the Naval Academy Athletic Association rewarded that performance by naming her the first NAAA Athlete of the Week of the new academic year.
Cosenza earned the honor after playing a major role in Navy’s season-opening 4-0 victory over Robert Morris and remaining heavily involved offensively in the Midshipmen’s matchup with Rice later in the week.
The Westfield, New Jersey native was particularly effective against Robert Morris, impacting all four Navy goals despite playing only 43 minutes.
Cosenza Sets the Tone Against Robert Morris
Cosenza did not need to score herself to control the match.
Her first major contribution came in the 18th minute when Robert Morris goalkeeper fouled her inside the penalty area. Jessica Black converted the ensuing penalty kick to give Navy an early 1-0 advantage.
That lead held into the second half before Cosenza again helped Navy create a scoring opportunity.
In the 56th minute, she drew another foul just outside the penalty area. Kayana Adlam stepped up and curled the resulting free kick into the upper corner, extending Navy’s lead to 2-0.
Less than two minutes later, Cosenza helped create another dangerous free-kick situation. Her flick-on reached Black, who was brought down outside the box. Helen Bonner took the free kick, the Robert Morris goalkeeper stopped the initial attempt, and Lizzie Emerson converted the rebound to make it 3-0.
Cosenza finally received a direct statistical contribution in the closing seconds.
She delivered a high corner kick into the penalty area at 89:40, and ClaraJane Williams headed it home to complete Navy’s 4-0 victory.
It was an impressive performance from a senior attacker who consistently created problems with her movement, ability to draw fouls and service into dangerous areas.
Impact Continued Against Rice
Navy’s second game of the opening week ended in a loss to Rice, but Cosenza again remained one of the Midshipmen’s most active offensive players.
She played 68 minutes and recorded two of Navy’s four shots on goal in the match.
That continued a trend from her junior season, when Cosenza established herself as one of Navy’s leading offensive threats.
She entered 2026 after tying for the team lead with four goals in 2025 while leading Navy with five assists and 13 total points.
Those numbers made her one of the most important returning pieces for a Navy squad looking to build on a 9-6-4 season.
Experienced Presence Up Front
Cosenza’s development has been steady throughout her Navy career.
As a freshman in 2023, she appeared in 16 matches and scored four goals, highlighted by a hat trick against Marymount. She also earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors that season.
She followed that with a larger role as a sophomore in 2024, appearing in all 21 games and making 20 starts at striker.
Cosenza scored four goals and added two assists that season while logging more than 1,400 minutes. Navy went 4-0 in games in which she scored.
Her junior season pushed her production even further.
Cosenza finished 2025 with four goals, five assists and 13 points, leading Navy in both assists and total points while sharing the team lead in goals.
That combination of experience and production gives Navy an important veteran presence as the Midshipmen move deeper into the 2026 schedule.
More Than Just Goals
What stood out most about Cosenza’s opening-week performance was the variety of ways she influenced matches.
Against Robert Morris, she created a penalty kick, drew multiple dangerous fouls, helped start another set-piece sequence and delivered an assist from a corner kick.
None of those plays required her to finish the chance herself.
That kind of influence can be especially valuable in college soccer, where set pieces often decide tight games.
Cosenza’s ability to put defenders under pressure and win fouls around the penalty area gives Navy another method of generating offense beyond open-play scoring chances.
The Midshipmen converted those opportunities efficiently against Robert Morris, turning what was initially a close match into a comfortable four-goal victory.
Strong Soccer Background
Before arriving in Annapolis, Cosenza played at Westfield High School in New Jersey and competed on the club level with Skills Talent Attitude.
She earned multiple honors during her high school career, including second-team All-New Jersey recognition and first-team honors in North Jersey Section 2, Union County and the Watchung Conference.
Cosenza also assisted on the game-winning goal in the 2021 New Jersey Group 4 state championship match as Westfield completed a 21-0-1 season.
Her athletic background extends beyond soccer as well. According to her Navy biography, Cosenza has earned a black belt in karate.
Navy Will Lean on Its Senior Forward
The NAAA Athlete of the Week honor is an encouraging early-season recognition for a player Navy expects to play a major role throughout 2026.
Cosenza is now a senior, and her experience gives the Midshipmen a proven offensive option at a position where chemistry and decision-making become increasingly important as conference play approaches.
Her first week demonstrated that she can affect games even when she does not score.
For Navy, that may be just as important as her final goal total.
With Cosenza creating chances, drawing fouls and generating opportunities for teammates, the Midshipmen have an experienced attacking piece capable of changing matches in several different ways.
Her opening week was strong enough to earn the first NAAA Athlete of the Week award of 2026.
If it is any indication of what is ahead, Cosenza could be headed for her best season yet.
