ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Rising senior defender
Zach Wagner has been selected as the captain of the 2023 Navy men's soccer team, head coach
Tim O'Donohue announced Tuesday.
Replacing his graduating brother, fellow defender
JD Wagner, as the team captain, Zach will lead a squad that brings back 20 players from the Navy team that won the 2022 Patriot League Tournament and earned the program's first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
"It's such an honor to be chosen as captain and take over the mantle from my brother," said Zach. "I love this team and we can't wait for another great season this fall."
JD and Zach become the first brothers in Navy men's soccer history to each be named team captain during their careers.
The younger Wagner was a key piece of the Mids' run to the league championship, starting all 21 games and scoring twice for a team that went 7-5-9 overall and lost just one conference match en route to a 3-1-5 league record. Helping Navy shut out all three of its opponents during its Patriot League postseason run, Wagner was crowned the Patriot League Tournament's Most Valuable Player and was a guiding force in the Mids finishing the season with the 29th-lowest team goals against average in the nation.
"Zach is a great choice to captain the 2023 team," said O'Donohue. "While he played extremely well in the tournament, he also showed fantastic leadership of our back-four all season long. He is extremely well respected in the program by the players, coaches and staff. He will follow his brother, who did a phenomenal job as our captain this past year, and he'll continue the strong leadership we have had the last few seasons."
A native of Medford Lakes, N.J., Wagner has played in 34 career games for the Mids, registering nine points while logging 2,418 minutes of action.
PL Midfielder of the Year
David Jackson, all-league selections
Baba Kallie and
Noah Ward and all-tournament picks
Cristian Coelho,
Pierce Holbrook and
A.J. Schuetz are among those set to return for the Midshipmen alongside the younger Wagner.
