No. 9 on defense? Lucia Wells thrives in her new defensive role with Pitt women’s soccer

If you would’ve asked Lucia Wells if she ever expected herself to become a defender, she probably would’ve told you ‘no.’

The University of Pittsburgh women’s soccer utility player entered her freshman year in 2023 getting some minutes. She’d essentially come in the match if Landy Mertz or Amanda West needed a quick breather. Now, with both players featuring professionally in the NWSL, Wells is getting more time.

But, she’s not starting up top. Wells has now been thrusted into a defensive role — and it’s one she’s excelling at with the Panthers.

And, yes, she still wears the ‘attacking number’ 9 jersey.

When the Panthers play in a four-back formation, Wells features as the team’s right back. In a three-back formation, she’s also on the right side. It hasn’t been a slow and steady learning process. Wells featured in the first couple matches this season up top. But, after realizing they needed defensive quickness and bite, Wells was pushed back into a defensive role.

“It’s been different, but I definitely like it a lot,” Wells said to Pittsburgh Soccer Now. “Honestly, wherever I can help the team is where I want to be on the field. I’m fine with it.”

Wells said the move to defense was “very surprising,” but she’s just happy to use her versatility to be on the pitch.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting to go defense. But, yeah, it just happened along the way.”

Wells has come up big defensively for the Panthers. Her speed is something that can’t be taught and she looked like a full-fledged defender against Dartmouth when she covered an attacking player from getting a rebound off an Ellie Breech saved penalty. Against Louisville, Ben Waldrum applauded her ability to fight for the ball.

As with most kids who come from the WPIAL, as Waldrum says, Wells has bite to her game.

“She doesn’t get beat often,” Waldrum said. ” Lucia is one that has a competitive bite, grit-type of personality. [In the Louisville match], I think they got on a counter and split her and Katie Zailski. And she literally tracked the girl down 60 yards. The Louisville player was not getting away from her. She’s one of the few players on our team that would make that decision and put that kind of effort into it. Same thing with Dartmouth on the penalty. If she doesn’t work her way back on the rebound… they had a good chance to rebound.”

Waldrum also added that her tenacity is one of the biggest components to helping her defensive game.

“She’s one of the those kids that has a little bit of nasty in her,” Waldrum said with a smile. “I like it. She’s going to fight you, and that’s the one quality that has helped her. She just wants to play and compete.”

JUST ANOTHER WEEKEND IN PANTHER WORLD 🔵🟡

No. 1 @Pitt_VB gets two more sweeps!
No. 1 @Pitt_MSOC wins AGAIN!@Pitt_WSOC earns the draw vs. No. 6 Stanford! pic.twitter.com/bymaDWvABM

— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) September 30, 2024

Lucia Wells: A quick learner

Wells has learned the defensive game quickly. Not only has she learned by simply participating in practices and games, but she also has dove deep into defensive preparations — mainly with assistant coach, and former Panther defender, Ashton Gordon, and her defensive teammates.

“They’re very helpful. They help and tell me where to go,” Wells said. “In practice, they teach me everything during training and we figure it out together. We usually split our trainings. We do offense on one side of the field, defense on the other. Ben and Ashton usually work with the defense, but Ben will switch over sometimes. It’s always the day before training that we’ll work on defense, so that’s been helpful.”

Behind her, too, Wells has Breech in goal, who is in her second full-year of starting in net.

“Breech has done a great job. It’s mainly her communicating with me, and telling me when someone is on or not,” Wells said. “She’s wonderful at communicating. I couldn’t ask for a better keeper behind me.”

Breech credited Wells for making the change to defense so smooth for her and the other defenders.

“She’s super fast and super athletic, so she made that adjustment really easily,” Breech said after the Louisville match. “Her one-on-one defending, whenever she’s at the 7 or 11 up top, is very on-point. So, it was a seamless transition to come back and help out on defense.”

Sarah Schupansky — who played with Wells in high school for two years at North Allegheny — said she’s proud of her former Tigers teammate.

“She’s been going into that role and being a team player, doing whatever we need,” Schupansky said. “She’s obviously an incredible forward, but she’s turning into an incredible outside back, as well.”

Pitt in the polls this week 📈#H2P pic.twitter.com/CVeuoxmLWe

— Pitt Women's Soccer (@Pitt_WSOC) October 1, 2024

A boost of confidence

Wells has credited communication with her teammates as a big part of her success on defense.

“Communication has been working. We prepare well,” Wells said. “I think communicating with everyone on the field, getting wide and getting forward is it. Our coaching staff just wants us to get forward.”

Wells said that her coaching staff — head coach Randy Waldrum, associate head coach Ben Waldrum and assistants Jesse Goleman and Ashton Gordon — giving her the backing on defense has improved her confidence.

“I’m so thankful for them putting trust in me, coming out of last year, getting me more minutes this year and even in the spring season,” Wells said. “They prepared me a lot for what I was expected to do this season in the spring.”

Ben Waldrum, ahead of the Louisville match, complemented Wells by saying her mentality has been “fantastic.”

“I don’t think she cares where she plays, she just wants to play,” Waldrum said. “What you see from her and what we see, she has a lot of bite to her game. Her competitiveness and athleticism alone makes her an impact kid for us… Lucia’s individual defending and attacking are some of the reasons we slotted her back there. She has done a really nice job adapting to the position and the demands of the position.”

Wells and the Panthers will take on Clemson tomorrow night, Oct. 3, in a big ACC battle. The Panthers are coming off a two-game road stretch, where they fell to California but drew Stanford. Tomorrow’s match is at home, at Ambrose Urbanic Field, kicking off at 7 p.m.

Losing our breath over the new scarves 😅

Come get yours at tomorrow night’s match!#H2P pic.twitter.com/86WQQgJmWB

— Pitt Women's Soccer (@Pitt_WSOC) October 2, 2024

Rachael Kriger

The sport of soccer is Rachael Kriger's area of expertise. Kriger covers high school and women's soccer, with occasional work with Pitt Women's Soccer. For the last five years, she has been the Color Commentator for the Pitt Women's Soccer program. Elsewhere, Kriger contributes for MLS Multiplex, part of the FanSided network. She formerly wrote for Equalizer Soccer and Last Word on Soccer. Kriger is a member of the official NWSL Media Association and the North American Soccer Reporters, serving as the NASR's President after two years in the role of Communications Director and Vice President.