Army senior Winston Boldt won’t be taking much personal leave this summer. Instead, Boldt will train with several professional soccer teams to hone his goalkeeping skills and expand his development as a leader. The opportunity to train with world class athletes and their teams will also raise his profile for the Major League Soccer draft.

Boldt didn’t take the traditional path to this opportunity. He didn’t play travel soccer or try out for national teams like most professional soccer players. He wasn’t groomed to be one of the nation’s top goalkeepers.

Instead, he worked for it. On the pitch, in the classroom, during military training, he worked. And he excelled.

Now, he is spending parts of his summer leave showing the results of that hard work.

A 6-foot, 3-inch goalkeeper from St. Louis, Mo., Boldt is not only an All-American keeper, he is also an Academic All-America choice and being strongly considered for key leadership positions within the Corps of Cadets for his Firstie year.

Army led the country last season in two categories Boldt had a lot to do with, shutouts and save percentage.

Boldt chose West Point for the opportunity to serve his country and for a top-notch education. He was a two-time all-state goalie at John Burroughs High School and took the reigns as the Black Knights’ starting goalkeeper at the end of his freshman season.

Working closely with Army head coach Russell Payne, an All-ACC selection during his days at Maryland and an assistant with the U.S. National U20 World Cup team and assistant coach Steve McAnulty, a former star at Columbia, Boldt blossomed into one of the nation’s top keepers

Boldt completed Cadet Leadership Development Training in late May and had a few days to prepare for his first workout with the New England Revolution. After training with the Revolution, he will return to West Point as the Summer Garrison Regiment Commander, a position he earned for his leadership skills and dedication. Boldt will then work out for the New York Cosmos and possibly another team or two.

Boldt was invited to train with professional teams following a stellar junior season. Boldt helped Army to a 12-3-3 mark, with 12 shutouts. He ranked second nationally in shutouts, third with a stellar save percentage of .888 and fifth in goals against average.

He was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of American Division I All-America second team in the process. Boldt is Army’s first soccer All-American since 1974.

Thanks to his gaudy numbers in goal and a better than 3.5 grade-point average, Boldt was honored with Capital One Academic All-America honors, one of just five players to receive the national academic honor.

Boldt has a double major, of Portuguese and International Relations, and Environmental Engineering as his engineering sequence and often takes an extra course each semester to account for the double major.

His work in the classroom and on the pitch were recognized when he was named the Patriot League Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Boldt’s success in summer training has allowed him to pursue coveted leadership positions within the Corps of Cadets. Last summer, Boldt spent three weeks at Fort Bragg, N.C., with the Third Special Forces Group for Cadet Trooper Leader Training. He was selected along with a small group of classmates for training with one of the most competitive organizations in  the U.S. Army. While with the Special Forces, he integrated into an Operational Detachment Alpha Team and participated in the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course. He excelled despite his limited experience with the team.

His success in the three West Point pillars of athletics, academics and military, led to his selection as the 2014 Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award.

Now, he is hoping to make an impression on professional soccer evaluators while he prepares for his final season at West Point.  He will work out for the MLS’ Revolution and then later, the iconic Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.

The Major League Soccer draft is in January and the thought is that with some great workouts this summer and another stellar season in goal, Boldt will be strongly considered.

Currently, if an Army player is signed to a professional contract, they must serve for two years and then apply to participate in the U.S. Army’s Alternative Service Option programs. Football players Collin Mooney (Tennessee Titans) and Josh McNary (Indianapolis Colts) are the most recent participants.

Winston Boldt Highlights

• Army Soccer Team Captain 2013 & 2014
• NSCAA All-America second team
• Capital One Academic All-America second team
• Ranked second nationally in shutouts (12)
• Ranked third nationally in save percentage (.888)
• Ranked fifth nationally in goals against average (.521)
• Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award winner
• Patriot League Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year
• All-Patriot League first team
• Patriot League All-Academic Team
• All-Patriot League Championship Team

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