Hailing from Mount Airy, Md. Wake Forest goalkeeper Cole McNally is no stranger to soccer’s extraordinary world. McNally began playing soccer under his father’s wing at the tender age of three before transitioning to club soccer with Bethesda SC Academy, helping his team reach the 2017 USSDA Tournament’s quarterfinal. McNally, a former member of the U.S. U-14 and U-16 National Teams, made his collegiate debut this past fall in a 3-0 victory over UAB. With the Wake Forest soccer team beginning their spring season soon, McNally is definitely a player to watch this year.

Bry Richards: What inspired you to play soccer?

Cole McNally: Soccer has been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember. Given that my dad played soccer at Virginia Tech in college, I have been immersed from a young age. I started playing when I was three and my dad coached my first team. Ever since then, I have been in love with it, and my dream was to become a pro player. So it started from a young age, but it took me to where I am now. I loved it when I started, and I’ve loved it ever since.

BR: Is there a story behind you choosing to play goalkeeper, or did you settle into the position by chance?

CM: That’s a good question. At first, playing soccer, I always played on the field and everything like that. And I loved it, and then I tried out for my first club team. Because I was a bigger kid at the time, they just threw me in goal. And it just kind of stuck since then. So I was about 11 when that happened, and ever since, all I have been playing is goalkeeper.

BR: Some athletes have pre-game rituals, such as sleeping with a banana or tying their shoes a certain way. Do you have any particular superstitions?

CM: For me, the only big thing I do is, after we break our team huddle. I run back, touch the crossbar, and then go down to my knees and just say a quick prayer. After that, I’m ready to go for the game. That’s the only pre-game ritual I have.

BR: What does an average soccer practice look like at Wake Forest?

CM: Wake, credit to them: our coaches do a great job making the training intense and sharp and getting the most out of us that they can. I feel fortunate that I get to train in such a great environment every day. Essentially, because we’re goalkeepers we work individually and partake in goalkeeper drills with a goalkeeper coach for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then, we go with the team for about 45 minutes. Typically, practice goes from specific drills to possession and eventually turns into scrimmaging or gameplay at the end. That’s what a typical session looks like, but the intensity and sharpness are always very high as people are always very focused. It’s a really good environment.

BR: You’ve already had significant experience playing on a big stage at Bethesda Academy. Are there any words of inspiration or playing tips that have stuck with you from your time in high school?

CM: For me, it’s just always to keep moving forward. There have been setbacks that I’ve had to deal with in my career, but through it all, I’ve just kept the mentality that I can’t change the past, and I just have to focus on doing what I can. Keeping that goal in my mind has motivated me, and helps me deal with setbacks or whatever I have to face.

BR: With mentors like Andrew Pannenberg, Dominic Peters and Dane Brenner, what have you learned while redshirting your freshman year that you will take with you during the upcoming spring season?

CM: Yeah, credit to them. All three of those guys are incredible people and have helped me so much. I think the biggest thing they told me is just to trust the process. I think about times, especially when I was younger, where I felt like I wasn’t getting what I wanted to get out of different things. But through it all, they were there supporting me, pushing me to be better. I’m super thankful for them, the people they are and what they’ve done for me so far. And I’m also super grateful for that redshirt year. It was an incredible learning experience for me, and I wouldn’t have it any different with those three guys by my side.

BR: As a student-athlete, it can be easy to find yourself overwhelmed with school work and performing during games. How do you stay on top of your work and still have the ability to practice on the soccer field?

CM: I think you hit on a great point. Time management is a huge part of being a student-athlete and a college student. It’s just about prioritizing time, setting aside time and just working on stuff diligently. It’s super easy to just say, ‘I’m going to push this off a little later,’ and sometimes I found myself guilty of that. But, it’s really just about prioritizing time, taking some time aside, and working diligently so you can get ahead and get things done. Time management is such a key factor to the success of a student-athlete, and the success of a student in general. That’s definitely something I prioritize a lot.

BR: Being one of the country’s highest-ranked goalkeepers, you had offers from schools like Stanford and Duke. What made you want to pick Wake Forest?

CM: I think I really feel like Wake, overall, is my home and one of the greatest places in the country, in all aspects. Wake was my first visit. I fell in love with this place as soon as I stepped on campus. Not to mention the family atmosphere here. The atmosphere at Wake Forest is incomparable to anywhere else in the entire country because, when you come here, you’re part of a family. I felt that as soon as I stepped foot on campus. Whether it be the amazing teammates I have around me … [or] my coaches … I feel super fortunate. Wake Forest’s administration [has] such amazing people. It really is just a family atmosphere here. I don’t think you’d get that anywhere else in the country, so I feel super blessed to be at this place and to be able to call it my home.

BR: Is there a unique story behind picking your jersey number, 31?

CM: There is not. Basically, all the other numbers were taken. I got 31, but I like the number a lot. Every time I see it, it becomes significant to me as I think about where I started and where I’ve come since then. For me, it’s very humbling to wear the number, and I identify with it a lot. I just love the motivation. It makes me want to continue to work hard and to continue to push myself. [The number] 31 had no significance to me my whole life, and then I came here where it was just put onto my lap. Now, it’s something I really identify with. It just makes me remember the redshirt season and allows me to reflect on how far I’ve come since then. So I do like it a lot, and I identify with it a lot as well.

BR: How has it been preparing for the spring season? How do you think that your role has grown with this team?

CM: I think preparation for the spring has been going amazing so far. As I said, I have to give all the credit to my teammates. We have a really special group of hardworking guys. They have great character, and just want to succeed for both themselves and the guy next to them. So with that being said, it’s been an amazing preparation period so far. But, parts have been tough; we lost a lot of older guys in the fall. Now we have a young, fresh team. So being an older guy, I’ve had to take a new leadership role. But I’m prepared for it. I’m ready to give my all for the team and the guys next to me. I’m here to help everybody in the team succeed because that’s what it’s about, and it’s what my mentality is. I want to help the team. I put the team first and try my best to help this team succeed. When you have such amazing guys around you, it makes it just a pleasure to compete and train every day. So I feel super fortunate to have the teammates I have.

BR: What are your plans after Wake Forest? Do you aspire to play professionally?

CM: My goal ever since I was three years old has been to play professionally. So, I always say: God’s timing, God’s plan. All I have to do is work my hardest and get as much success as I can out of Wake Forest. And then, from there, I give it up to God and just trust His plan. It’s also my understanding that I’ll work my hardest to control what I can, and I leave the rest up to Him. I would love to play professionally, it is the biggest dream of mine. But first things first, I want to get as much as I can out of Wake Forest and bring as much success to Wake for us as I possibly can.