April 13, 2009
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IOWA CITY, IA – Of Iowa soccer’s nine incoming freshmen, no one has more international playing experience than Alyscha Mottershead.
Hailing from Brampton, Ontario, Mottershead will arrive on campus this fall with the perfect combination of experience and athleticism. Those tools should serve her well as she competes for a spot in Iowa’s midfield.
“To have someone with national team and World Cup experience on the roster will give us a huge boost on the tactical side of the game,” Iowa Head Coach Ron Rainey said. “Alyscha is also going to represent Iowa at a high level in the community and classroom.”
Mottershead has trained with Canada’s finest, playing on the U-17 national team for the last two years. She played in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier in Trinidad & Tobago (with Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) as a junior and was named team captain prior to Canada’s bronze medal match against Mexico. Canada won, 1-0, to earn it’s first-ever selection to the U-17 World Cup.
At the World Cup in New Zealand, Mottershead, now a senior, played in matches against New Zealand, Columbia, Denmark and Germany. She was named team captain for Canada’s match with Denmark and helped lead Canada to the quarterfinals.
Mottershead played club soccer for Brams United Storm SC for eight years, and won multiple MVP awards to go along with being named captain in 2006 and 2007. And for the last year, when she isn’t tied up with commitments to Canada’s national team, Mottershead started nine matches for the Toronto Lady Lynx of the W-League.
Despite not being able to play soccer at the high school level due to her national team obligations, Mottershead was quarterback of the flag football team and four-year starter for the volleyball team at Cardinal Leger. Her athleticism earned her the high school female Athlete of the Year award.
Off the soccer field, Mottershead loves to hit slopes as a snowboarder. She is currently in the process of selecting a major at Iowa.