With her team currently 6–2–1, the new head coach of the Monroe College Mustangs is excited to see how the next three games play out. In her first year as head coach of the women’s soccer team, Dr. Mercedes Motz wants to see the Mustangs achieve the highest level of the sport and win the NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Championship, which they accomplished in 2018.
“The thing I love the most is how diverse they are,” said Motz of her players.
Although Monroe is a four-year institution, its sports compete against two-year colleges. That means new players are coming in every year, many of whom are international students who want to set themselves up to be seen and recruited by four-year institutions. The team has players from Spain, Scotland, England, Japan, Brazil, Ireland, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, the Netherlands, and the U.S.
“There is always a language barrier, but our preseason enables us to be successful,” said Motz. “Preseason is a month long and in that month…we do a lot of team bonding. We learn each other’s languages enough where we learn certain soccer commands. The more they get exposed to each other and the coaching staff, the easier it is to communicate.”
Motz has a doctorate in physical therapy. After coaching youth soccer part-time, she decided that she wanted to coach full-time. While she does not currently practice in physical therapy, her knowledge and skills play a big role in injury prevention. She also consults with other professionals, such as a sports psychologist and a dietician/nutritionist, to have players ready to compete.
“Everything we do related to soccer is around nutrition, sports performance, and sleep,” Motz said. “We help the players with everything related to moving on to their next school.”
Motz complimented the high level of play each student-athlete is contributing. The players also embrace their schoolwork and enjoy coming into New York City to soak up the energy.
“My goals are to continue to have each player improve every single game and in training, and to continue to play as a team and push each other, because I do believe if we can do both of those things, we can find ourselves at the national tournament,” said Motz. “…I think we have the personnel to get it done.”
Monroe takes on Sussex County Community College on Saturday.
