Oct. 24, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - Adjusting to college soccer coming out of high school; not much of a challenge for stand-out freshman forward Alysha Bonnick. Learning to pronounce her vocabulary without her Canadian accent; a little more difficult. Living almost 18 hours from her home, Bonnick has found a new family within the Missouri women's soccer team, but she always finds time to keep in touch with mom and dad.

Bonnick came to Mizzou this past summer from North Gower, Ontario, to play soccer for the Tigers. "It was a good soccer program, the team was close and, of course, the facilities," Bonnick says as she looks around in the Missouri Athletic Training Complex. It was not a hard decision for Bonnick and her family. With soccer being much less competitive in Canada, Bonnick was ready to come to a place where women's soccer was given more attention.

She found just that at Mizzou. It didn't take long for Bonnick to make her mark on the program. Bonnick earned Big 12 Rookie of the Year honors this season. "It's really surprising," Bonnick said of her freshman year performance, "I never would have thought at all. I came here and didn't know what to expect. Usually when I get on a team I'm really intimidated and don't start playing well until mid season. It's really surprising."

Her freshman breakout was just what the Tigers needed. Coming off a 10-9, 2006 season, this year's Missouri women made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, finishing the season with a 13-8-1 record and a top-30 ranking.

Before each game, Bonnick likes to listen to music and repeat the things she needs to work on for the impending match. With crowds growing each outing Bonnick keeps her cool. "The crowd doesn't affect me," said Bonnick. "I just try to listen to everyone (teammates) around me." When asked if nerves were ever a problem, she simply responded, "Not at all."

How does she make it all seem so easy? "When I was younger people told me I would never make it anywhere," Bonnick said. "You just kind of look back and say, 'Look where I am now' and try to keep proving them wrong."

It has not been a struggle for Bonnick to get motivated for games. Even with 18 hours between her family and herself she also looks to them for motivation and is able to talk with them on the phone almost every day. Bonnick's favorite part of the game: scoring goals. "I like scoring goals,"

Bonnick says with a smile. Her freshman domination included 11 goals, which ranked third on the team. Soccer has become a passion for Bonnick. She enjoys all aspects of the game. "Just the whole surrounding is amazing. It's a team sport, so everyone is in it together. No one is left out, everyone has to take all the responsibility," Bonnick said.

Not only has Bonnick learned a great deal of responsibility on the field, but off the field as well. "It has taught me to be independent," said Bonnick of living so far from home. "It's a negative being away from family, but you also get out and realize you have to take care of yourself, buy your own food, stuff like that."

Her biggest influence has been her mother who spent a great deal of her weekends taking Alysha to and from soccer matches. "She would put me on a plane Friday and fly me back (home) for a party and then drive me back the next day," said Bonnick. With soccer tournaments almost every weekend Bonnick's teenage life was far from the norm. "I didn't really have a normal teenage life. I wouldn't have any weekends or Friday nights," Bonnick said.

While her family is far away Bonnick has been able to make a new one in Missouri. "The team is basically my family," said Bonnick. Even though they may give her a hard time for how she pronounces "a" (ay), her teammates have made her adjustment much easier, openly welcoming Bonnick to the team. Holding no regrets, all her hard work is paying off. Bonnick has already experienced quite the freshman season and is sure to only improve over her stay in Columbia.

-By Mizzou Media Relations student assistant Stephanie Thiel