He’s quick to call himself a “role player,” and he credits the coaching staff, his family, and anyone else that has touched his life for his success.
And he says the Naval Academy Men’s Soccer team’s success in 2019 — currently they are the 17th ranked team in the nation, 11-0, and haven’t allowed a goal in five matches — is no surprise.
“I could see the potential when I got here,” Union academy graduate JD Wagner says earnestly. “I could see the brotherhood the guys had.
“I could see that they were going to be a great team. They weren't getting results, but they were playing great games.”
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Drew Wagner said that his greatest regret was that he didn’t serve his country, and from a very young age that put the military academies at the top of JD’s priority list. But he also loved soccer, so when the Naval Academy invited him to campus during his junior year’s Generation Adidas Cup it opened the door to a dream scenario: Serve and play.
Back then, Navy was desperate for results on the pitch. They won two games in 2017 and five in 2018. Tim O’Donohue was creating his style and system, but he needed the right players to execute it. Wagner’s skill is obvious to even the casual observer, but his mental makeup was even more important as O’Donohue sought an uptempo style that put his team on the front foot each game but retained flexibility to meet each opponent’s threats.
Wagner admits that the college game is “a little more physical” than Union academy matches, and says he’s often younger than the rest of the players on the pitch. He leans on teammates and coaches to help him up a steep learning curve, and the trust he has developed with everyone in the program has made the adjustment to college life a smooth one.
“The leadership of the older guys has really helped me mesh into the college game,” he says. “It hasn't been me becoming something else, it's all my teammates helping me become a confident player.
“I think we're probably one of the closest teams at the academy. We go to meals together, hang out, bond, and the brotherhood we have is the same as the academy. We're all best friends, and it's something that I wouldn't trade for anything else.”
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That closeness has translated into one of the most organized units in college soccer. Navy has given up a frankly incredible two goals in total across eleven matches in 2019, and only one in their last ten games. In Patriot League play, they are 4-0 with 12 goals scored and zero conceded.
Wagner’s assessment is a straightforward one: “We limit shots on goals, so only giving up two goals so far is pretty awesome,” he says. “It's a testament to the coaching and organization of our back line.”
Still, facing Army on Sunday in the Army-Navy Cup will be a different challenge than the undefeated Midshipmen have faced all season.
“The adrenaline is already rushing right now,” Wagner smiles. “Our coach always says that it's not the best team that matters, it's who the best team is on game day.
It's going to be awesome to go back home to the stadium I used to train at every day, it'll be so fun.
“I'm pumped to get after it and I think we have a good chance of winning the game.”
Wagner and Navy look to defend their Top 25 seeding against Army in the Army-Navy Cup on Friday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Talen Energy Stadium.
