University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Perez at the Heart of Panthers Defense
9/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
When you look at the Panthers’ back line in 2015, you’ll see newcomers and new positions make up most of the group. You’ll also see they haven’t missed a beat, adapting on the fly to help Pitt to a record start.
And there’s a pretty good chance you won’t miss Seyla Perez.
"We really missed Seyla last year, but I'm glad now we have her for three more years,” says head coach Greg Miller. “Despite her youth and inexperience, she is just such a presence in our back line. She has the talent and the athletic tools to solve a lot of defending problems and also kick start our attack.”
The redshirt freshman has come on with a vengeance at the center back position after missing all but four games in 2014 with injury. She and her fellow defenders must now work quickly and efficiently despite their limited experience together prior to this season in order to be successful.
“This year we’re focused more on functionally training and understanding the game,” says Perez. “A defender’s focus is on understanding. If we fix the little moments of covering and shifting, we can be even better. I trust everyone in the back. They can do their jobs, and that takes a lot of pressure off of me.”
That pressure is instead applied on opponents who make the mistake of getting too close to the Panthers’ goal. That’s when Perez and company go to work.
“I think I’m normally a lot bigger than the girls I match up against. I try to be more physical and focus on remembering to bump and challenge people. I’ve always been a person who could body off someone just because I’m bigger.”
Perez, a field general, as head coach Greg Miller describes her, helps lead a defense that has stifled the opposition so far this season. The Panthers have limited opponents to four goals, posting five shutouts and a .43 goals against average – the second-best mark in the ACC.
While junior goalkeeper Taylor Francis has turned in another standout campaign, the defensive success has also come from the back line’s efforts to cut down its opponents’ attempts to just 46 shots on goal in nine games. For the Panthers, the fewer shots Francis has to face, the better.
“I think the defense is a large part to our success. We have a mentality of shot-blocking, no goals, and shutouts. Even if we win, we’ll be upset that we didn’t get the shutout.”
The results have contributed to an unprecedented 7-1-1 start and six consecutive victories to date. On Sunday, Pitt notched its first home ACC win over NC State – another shutout, 2-0. While the victory marked a significant milestone for the program, for Perez, it was just another game to put in the win column.
“I think we’ve done a good job for having such a young back line. In games, there are times where I’m sure it shows that we’re unsure because we’ve never been in that situation, but I think we’ve been pretty good. For being so young, we haven’t played young.”
