ORLANDO, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference has announced its first weekly awards of the 2026-27 athletic season with Florida Tech's Lotte Waibel and Alice Mottershead earning SSC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Alice Mottershead, a junior from Manchester, England, was absolutely dominant the first week of the season for the Panthers as she totaled three goals and two assists for eight points. Against No. 3 Franklin Pierce, Mottershead hit the first goal of the season as she went top left, perfectly placed out of the reach of the FPU keeper. Her second goal came in the 61st minute as she put Tech up 3-0 against the Ravens. She would pick up an assist in the Panthers second goal of the game with a pass to Nina Santiago.

She followed up that performance with a one goal, one assist game against Southern New Hampshire where her pass to Lotte Waibel would put Florida tech ahead 2-1 after Waibel fired into the back of the net. In the 80th minute, Mottershead's prominent weekend would continue with her third goal off passes from Brualokken and Pena. She currently leads the Sunshine State Conference with eight points and is tied for first with three goals. 

Lotte Waibel, a freshman from Karlsruhe, Germany, bursted onto the scene in her first two collegiate matches and notched two goals and two assists for six points. In the win against No. 3 Franklin Pierce, Waibel assisted on both of Mottershead's goals and earned her first multi-assist game as a Panther. 

Waibel added to her impressive week as she earned her first career multi-goal game against Southern New Hampshire. She started the scoring in the 15th minute after the Penman keeper was unable to corral a shot from the Panthers and Waibel was there to punch it in. With the game tied at 1-1, she put the Panthers ahead with a goal in the 73rd minute off assist from Mottershead and Restrepo Sanchez.

Mottershead, Waibel and the rest of the Panthers will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 3 as they take on No. 22 Ashland at 7:00 p.m. on Rick Stotler Field.

SCHOLARS. CHAMPIONS. LEADERS.