_11_(cropped).jpg) Godfrey withVirginia in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lia Eugenia Godfrey[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-11-08)November 8, 2001 (age 24)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Fleming Island, Florida, U.S.[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | San Diego Wave | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2025 | Virginia Cavaliers | 107 | (28) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2026– | San Diego Wave | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2016 | United States U-15 | ||
| 2016 | United States U-16 | ||
| 2016–2018 | United States U-17 | 8 | (4) |
| 2020 | United States U-19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023 | United States U-23 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Lia Eugenia Godfrey (born November 8, 2001) is an American professionalsoccer player who plays as amidfielder forSan Diego Wave FC of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She playedcollege soccer for theVirginia Cavaliers, earningfirst-team All-American honors twice. She represented theUnited States at the2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
Godfrey was born and raised inFleming Island, Florida,[2] the daughter of Tim and Stefannie Godfrey, and has a twin brother and older sister. Her father ran track atSouth Florida. She is of Italian and Filipino descent on her mother's side.[3][4] Godfrey joined Clay County Soccer Club at age five, and her club coach tabbed her as "the nextMorgan Brian" at an early age.[5] She playedDA club soccer for Clay County (which later became United Soccer Alliance) andECNL soccer for Jacksonville FC.[3] She was twice namedUnited Soccer Coaches All-American, andTopDrawerSoccer ranked her as the tenth-best recruit of the 2020 class. She graduated fromFleming Island High School.[3]
Godfrey started all but her first game with theVirginia Cavaliers as a freshman in 2020, a shortened season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. She scored 4 goals and led theAtlantic Coast Conference with 9 assists in 21 games, helping Virginia to both theACC andNCAA tournament semifinals. She was named theACC Freshman of the Year,TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year, second-team All-ACC, second-team United Soccer Coaches All-American, and first-teamTopDrawerSoccer Best XI.[3][6] She scored 3 goals and led the team with 12 assists as a sophomore in 2021, earning first-team All-ACC and second-team All-American honors. Virginia went undefeated in conference play to claim the ACC regular-season title, before losing toFlorida State in theACC tournament final andBYU in theNCAA tournament third round.[3][7]
Godfrey scored 8 goals with 5 assists in 23 games in her junior season in 2022, being named first-team All-ACC andfirst-team All-American. She scored abrace againstXavier in theNCAA tournament as Virginia made the quarterfinals.[3] In 2023, she missed the entire season after suffering a knee injury in the spring.[4] She came back to the field in 2024, scoring 2 goals with 3 assists in 19 games.[3] She helped Virginia back into theNCAA tournament, which they had missed the year prior.[8] She returned to form in her sixth and final season in 2025, starting all 22 games and scoring a career-high 11 goals with 4 assists.[3] Virginia made theACC tournament semifinals and earned a one seed in theNCAA tournament, losing in the third round on penalties.[9] She was named first-team All-ACC, first-team All-American, and theACC Midfielder of the Year.[10]
San Diego Wave FC announced on December 30, 2025, that they had signed Godfrey to her first professional contract on a two-year deal with options to extend another two years.[2]
Godfrey received her first youth national team call-up at theunder-15 level in 2015. The following year, at age 14, she played for theunder-17 team and was the United States's youngest player at the2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[5][11] She missed the2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup due to anACL tear.[12] She later appeared infriendlies at theunder-19,under-20, andunder-23 levels.[13]
Virginia Cavaliers
Individual
