The Cutback's players you need to know: San Diego Wave's Lia Godfrey
The Cutback chats to the midfielder about her impressive rookie season in the NWSL
It didn’t take long for Lia Godfrey to emerge in the NWSL.
In the San Diego Wave rookie’s second professional appearance, she positioned herself well to receive the ball inside the box and buried home a low corner finish. Opposing Utah Royals players raised their hands, pleading for offside, but their fate was already sealed.
Godfrey’s first NWSL game-winner came in less than 60 minutes of total NWSL minutes as her second bench entry resulted in an 87th-minute goal. After the 2-1 victory in late March, she wouldn’t look back, scoring in the following two games as she established herself as a key starter.
Through 13 appearances, Godfrey has scored four goals and recorded three assists. Meanwhile, the Wave currently sit top of the NWSL table with 25 points and are preparing to kick off the second half of their season against Gotham this Saturday.
“It was a crazy start”, Godfrey said. “Definitely unexpected for sure, because as a rookie, you never know going into a season what it’s going to be like. I’ve just been lucky that it’s been going well so far”.
As NWSL teams return from a break, Godfrey said the Wave are looking to build on their fast start by developing more consistency. They also added Champions League-winner Catarina Macario to the fold following her transfer from Chelsea, and have all of the makings of top-table stalwarts.
Godfrey’s journey to the NWSL was unusual. The 24-year-old spent six years in college at Virginia after arriving during COVID and tearing her ACL in 2023.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Everyone’s path is different”, she said. “Mine was getting a bachelor’s and a master’s in college, which is not common. But UVA helped prepare me so well for the pros”.
As good as Godfrey is at soccer, she might also be an equally talented pianist. The Cutback chatted with Godfrey about her journey to the NWSL and dream start.
Kamran Nia: You’ve gotten off to a hot start, getting Rookie of the Month in March. What has it been like in the NWSL so far, and have you been able to adjust quickly?
Lia Godfrey: “It was a crazy start, definitely unexpected for sure, because as a rookie, you never know going into a season what it’s going to be like, and I’ve just been lucky that it’s been going well so far. A lot of credit goes to the team and the environment that I’m surrounded by. Preseason set me up so well for going into the games in the season and being able to play at that level”.
KN: What do you think it was about that preseason environment that helped you and made you feel confident to have that hot start?
LG: “It’s a good balance of a competitive environment and a supportive and welcoming environment. Going in as a new person, I was nervous. I’m in a new place, surrounded by new people, but everyone, players, staff, coaches were so welcoming. And they instil a lot of confidence in me, even if something’s not going right. It’s them picking me up, them saying supportive words, and so when there’s a lot of new things happening, it’s a lot of their support that helps build me up”.
KN: What has it been like building relationships with your teammates?
LG: “It’s been so fun, honestly. I didn’t know these people coming in, and then getting to play with them more and more, you learn each other’s habits, each other’s tendencies, and everyone’s so creative and has such high soccer IQs. Playing with each other and being able to move off one another, it’s so fun. Such fun soccer to play”.
KN: The Wave are top the table so far. When you reflect on the first part of the season, what do you take away from the success and what are you all looking to build on as a squad?
LG: “Going into the break, we’ve obviously had a really good start, but we’re looking to keep up that consistency. We’re focusing on consistency for 90 minutes and across a week, especially if we have multiple games within a week. There’s some games where we didn’t even score some goals. So we’re looking to build on the results that we’ve gotten and learn from some of the games where we didn’t get the results, and build on that, and be able to take that momentum, even though we have this break, right into our next game”.
KN: With Macario, what’s it been like having her around the team and what do you think she’s going to add to the squad?
LG: “Cat Macario was a great player, and now, having her as a teammate, she’s also such a great person, and having her experience can really add to the depth of this team”.
KN: You ended up staying at college for six years. How do you think that helped build the foundation for you as a professional and how do you think that experience helped build your career?
LG: “Obviously, everyone’s path is different. Mine was getting a bachelor’s and a master’s in college, which is not common. But UVA helped prepare me so well for the pros. I had such good coaches and I was surrounded by such good players, who knew how to develop me into becoming a professional, so I was ready for that transition. And even though it took a little bit longer than normal, it all worked out in the end, and I have no regrets about how things happened”.
KN: Just being in the college atmosphere, how do you think that helped you specifically prepare for the NWSL?
LG: “Specifically for UVA, I was surrounded by quality players and quality coaches who have a track record of developing NWSL, pro-level players. And then also aside from soccer, having just a team, a bunch of sisters that you’re surrounded by, you essentially have a second family. It’s the same thing in the pros, you’re just with different people. Going from that healthy, supportive culture really helped me be ready for another, even though it was different people (and) different age groups, to be ready to step into another culture like that”.
KN: What was it like navigating joining the NWSL without a draft? What was that process like for you, having that freedom to choose the squad and deciding where you wanted to be versus entering the draft and getting selected?
LG: “It was very different. My whole college career, I just watched the draft, and my teammates at the draft, so it’s a very different experience. But it can be beneficial to players such as myself. It worked out being able to see different teams, staff, let’s see what their facilities are, see what (kind of) soccer they plan and how they may value me as a player. It’s nice to get all that information right before you make a decision”.
KN: What was it about San Diego that really stood out?
LG: “One of the big reasons I chose San Diego was the style of play. It’s something that was very similar to what I played at UVA, where you value the ball, very possession-oriented, you’re not just playing kickball, essentially. There’s also very technical players that you’re surrounded by, so it’s the kind of soccer that, in my opinion, is really fun for me to play and be a part of. Also, I got to meet the coaching staff and hear about their environment ahead of time, and they had a really positive impact on me in making my decision. Also, San Diego’s such a great city. The weather is amazing all the time. I have some family here, so there are a lot of different factors that influenced my decision”.
KN: What are your goals for the international game?
LG: “I am no longer eligible for any of the youth camps. I’ve aged out, because I’m no longer under 23, so the only shot I would have would be playing for the full team. That is a dream of mine. I would love to be able to play for the full team one day, so I’m just going to keep playing the way I have been playing, and hopefully, maybe, one day I’ll get called in”.
KN: Have you talked to any senior national team players for advice, or what have you heard about what it takes to get to that level?
LG: “I have Kennedy (Wesley) as a teammate, so I’ve seen her going to camps, and her playing here in San Diego. I’m new to this environment. I’m new to the pro level. I think I just need to continue to prove myself, being able to play at such a high level, before anything happens”.
KN: I was reading about your piano (skills) and teammates making requests to play songs and things like that (at UVA). Have you been playing the piano for anyone in San Diego?
LG: “Yes, I have a keyboard in my apartment that I brought with me from UVA. Most of the songs that I know are more classic rock ’70s, ’80s style, but I’ve been learning more recent songs, because my teammates would request some stuff like Taylor Swift and things like that. I have been playing. My parents visit me a lot, so sometimes I play for them. It’s a nice way to just pass time too”.
KN: Do you have any favourite songs right now?
LG: “Right now, I’ve been playing a couple of songs from La La Land, so I’ve been working on a couple of those”.