Head of the class: for could-be women's professionals, school is still in session and the most likely to succeed is Santa Clara's Aly Wagner

Soccer Digest, March, 2003 by John Philip Wyllie

LAST YEAR'S WUSA COLLEGIATE player draft produced two instant stars--Danielle Slaton and Abby Wambach--a handful of starters, and several productive squad players. The 2003 draft--to be held in mid-February--should provide an even richer bounty. Among those who should quickly disappear from the draft board are Penn State's prolific goat-scorer Christie Welsh, a pair of outstanding goalkeepers--Hope Solo from Washington and UNC's Jen Branam--midfielder Susan Bush (also from UNC), and Portland defender Lauren Orlandos. Heading the 2003 draft class is Santa Clara's magnificent field general and playmaker Aly Wagner.

Barring something that would border on lunacy, the San Diego Spirit will make Wagner the league's top draft choice. Whichever team selects Wagner will not only be getting collegiate soccer's most outstanding player, but a world-class star with considerable international experience. Wagner recently provided a sneak preview of the impact she has on an offense when she led the U.S. to a Gold Cup championship, notching a tournament-best eight assists to go with one goal.

After hoisting the hardware, national team coach April Heinrichs cited Wagner's maturity and sophistication in her postgame remarks. Heinrichs spoke about the amount of respect Wagner commanded at the event--despite being more than 10 years younger than some of her teammates.

"When Aly gets the ball, people take off to the goal because they know she'll deliver," says Heinrichs. "The ability to serve the ball the way she does is a rare quality in such a young player. She is exceptionally gifted technically and has tremendous vision."

Growing up in San Jose, Wagner admired local superstar Brandi Chastain and, teamed with close friend and future national team defender Danielle Slaton on several youth clubs--including the three-time national champion Central Valley Mercury. Wagner and Slaton also crossed paths at Presentation High School before going on to All-America careers at Santa Clam. In addition to being great athletes, Wagner and Slaton were also topnotch students, each graduating with 4.0 GPAs. When Wagner--who was one graduating class behind Slaton--arrived in Santa Clam, her role model Chastain was the Broncos assistant coach.

Wagner was delighted to have the San Jose-Santa Clara connection working for her in the collegiate ranks. She credits Santa Clara coach Jerry Smith for improving her skills and developing her tactical acumen, and considers the training and guidance she received from him critical to her rapid development. "Jerry prepares players for the professional level," says Wagner. "He teaches all the little details of the game. As a freshman you may feel a little overwhelmed at times, but he is a detail-oriented coach. By your senior year, you end up knowing the ins and outs of the game."

Heinrichs credits Wagner's accelerated development has been fostered to her national youth team experience. Wagner is proof that the days of players jumping directly from college to the national team are not yet over in women's soccer--as they are in men's. Wagner is demonstrating that professionalization is not a prerequisite for senior international success. "She can do this because of [the quality] of our youth national teams," explains Heinrichs.

While Wagner was dazzling Gold Cup spectators with her crisp passing, anticipation, and ability to solve packed defenses, the rest of the Santa Clara Broncos were preparing to defend their NCAA national championship. Fortunately, the Gold Cup was played on the West Coast and Heinrichs and Smith were able to work out an agreement that made Wagner available to both teams.

The double duty didn't bother Wagner at all. "It only becomes an issue if you let it," says Wagner. "I didn't think much about it. It was fun. We train to play in games, and I was fortunate to be able to play for both the U.S. and Santa Clara. I play a different role on each team, so it was probably good for me mentally to shift back and forth between gears. It required me to step up, be more aware, and have a higher level of concentration."

In 2001, Wagner led the Broncos to their first national championship with a marvelous 17-goal, 20-assist season. Always a clutch player, Wagner claimed offensive MVP honors at that year's NCAA Final Four and scored the lone goal in a 1-0 championship game victory over North Carolina. This year, the Broncos defeated UNC in the semifinals, but lost in overtime to Portland in the title game.

Increasingly involved with the national team, Wagner played in only 13 of Santa Clara's 20 regular-season games in 2002. Naturally her numbers were down as a result, but she still managed eight goals and five assists. Wagner made sure she was back in a Broncos uniform for the playoffs and she played a pivotal role in the back-to-back 5-1 trouncings of Creighton and Arizona State, notching a goal and two assists in each match.

Prior to the NCAA playoffs, Wagner made a strong impression at the Gold Cup, which doubled as qualification for the 2003 Women's World Cup. (Gold Cup finalists Canada and the U.S will represent CONCACAF at that event) Her play as the dominant force in the U.S. midfield made her one of five Americans named to the tournament's All-Star team. Wagner's nifty overtime pass to Mia Harem allowed the superstar to nail the game-winner and give the U.S. the title over the tough Canadians.