Anyone's who watched Florida Tech women's soccer this season knows that something special can happen anytime Alice Mottershead has the ball at her feet. The junior from Manchester, England has excelled both in defense and in midfield, providing 10 goal contributions in 10 games so far in 2026. 

It can be a lot to have the type of responsibility that Alice has each game for a team seeking its second consecutive national championship, but to know Alice Mottershead is to know that her education at two of the biggest clubs in the world gave her all the preparation she could need for these moments. 

Growing up in Manchester, Alice was a fan of Manchester United, who, in addition to their historic men's team have had a quite successful women's team of their own since re-launching in 2018. While she may have grown up watching the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ella Toone to emulate, she did so without the typical football-crazed family you would expect. 

"I didn't have really anyone in my family that played football, says Mottershead. "So, when I was younger at primary school, I'd play with the boys and that's how I got scouted at a young age." 

Alice would go on to spend 10 years at United's academy before spending two years at the academy of the only other club who can lay claim to the title "Biggest in England", Liverpool. For Alice, the time spent in those academies taught her not just how to become the player she is today, but how to conduct herself like the professionals she was training with every day. 

"I would say I definitely learned quite young at United, but I'd say the biggest change was probably Liverpool," says Mottershead. "I went there at 16, and the environment we were in was that the under 21s and the first team were training and eating and everything in the same place. We saw the professional environment, and we would eat with them sometimes and things like that. So, when we had opportunities to play with them, we saw what the future could kind of hold with that." 

Training and scrimmaging with girls her age who were also trying to make the next level as well as seeing professionals like Fuka Nagano, Missy Bo Kearns and Melbourne's own Katie Stengel provided Alice with not just invaluable experience but up-close proof of what it would take to get to the next level, wherever it would take her. 

"It definitely helped me develop as a player because playing with the older girls, you could feel the speed difference, the strength difference," says Mottershead. "You knew what it took to get there and you started to notice certain things that the pros would do differently that you know you should take on, and that would help you become better." 

The time was approaching for Alice to take the next step in her career, and she had several factors to weigh. Of course, she was trying to figure out what would give her the best chance to reach the next level in her career and at the same time, prepare for life after football. 

"Especially compared to England and in Europe, the U.S. tend to have a better system with being able to do your education alongside soccer," says Mottershead. "It's quite hard to do both when you're in Europe with the schedule and what not. So that was an important factor for me and then with Florida Tech, it just seemed the perfect fit. I'd already spoken to some of the girls and the coach, and I knew from watching and speaking to the coach how competitive the environment was. So, I knew I was gonna get better as a person, but also a player as well." 

Katy Freels was in the process of putting together her first recruiting class as head coach in the spring of 2024 and what she wanted the team to play like under her direction. The first time she watched Alice, she knew her skill could elevate the program. 

"You could tell pretty quickly she was a special player," says Freels. "When we saw her film, I think probably three clips in, we said, 'That's the player we want, we've got to find a way to get her.' At that point, it becomes the challenge of recruiting her over Division I schools because she had plenty of D1 options. So, our appeal was 'Hey, come be a player with a lot of responsibility. We're gonna build around you, you're somebody that we see a lot of potential in." 

Alice ultimately made the decision to come to Melbourne and admittedly, needed time to adjust to a new place and not just because it's on average 23 degrees warmer than home. 

"It was definitely an adjustment coming in freshman year," says Mottershead. "Even though I had a hard schedule at the academies, I had to get better with time management at first because you have classes, practice and film and things that I wasn't necessarily used to. I've really enjoyed the difference in how diverse the team is because I'm not used to having internationals on the team. At the academies, we didn't have anyone from other countries, it was mostly players from that area." 

As a freshman, Alice started 17 of 19 games and earned All-SSC Third Team honors as the Panthers took home a regular season and conference tournament double. She grew in confidence and performance in 2025, starting 21 of 27 games with nine goal contributions, including two assists to help Tech win the National Championship Game as she was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, USC All-South Region Second Team and Third Team All-SSC. All the hard work she had put in and the competition that pushed her while she was at the academies of Liverpool and Manchester United had helped her become a driving force for a champion. 

"She's really good at what she does on the ball, and she's really good at understanding the game," says Freels. "We've had teams man mark our outside backs because of how dangerous she is, and that's something that doesn't happen. So, for teams to change their style to account for her I think is a huge testament to her ability on the ball and how she plays and how she sees it. Her vision's great." 

The player who learned how to behave a professional in her adolescence has also come to realize during her time at Florida Tech that there's a way to use that as a guide for others but also, she's surrounded by a program that's happy to have her be one of the gang. 

"I think I've changed a lot as a person," says Mottershead. "My confidence has improved so much, and socially, it was a big change. But I think with the girls we have, I really enjoy the environment." 

"Alice is a great leader," says Freels. "She's a leader that's not naturally going to be the biggest presence in any room, but she connects well with everybody, and she cares deeply about the game and the team. I think she's somebody that holds the team standard very naturally by how she plays and how she operates and how she carries herself, and she's really grown this fall about holding others accountable too, and that's something that I think was a big shift for her last spring after our big senior class left." 

Alice Mottershead is building a resume that when it's all said and done, could place her amongst the greatest to ever put on a Crimson and Gray. Her football education in the Northwest of England has allowed her to find greatness on the east coast of Florida.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech women's soccer team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
 
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