When Head Women's Soccer Coach Mike Winn and his wife Kerry Winn established the Joe O'Donnell Endowed Fund for Women's Soccer in 2019, they wanted to honor the long-time Hall of Fame Pace Athletic Director who was known for providing so many young people with opportunities through the college athletics experience.

Since then, the fund has grown thanks to continued contributions from alumni, staff, families, and friends. This past fall, junior midfielder Alyssa Cabral, a health science major preparing to be a physician assistant, became the first student-athlete to receive a scholarship from the fund.

Coach Winn could not think of a better member of his team to be the first and honor O'Donnell's legacy. "Alyssa is the best of everything," said Winn. "Alyssa and Joe are very similar. Joe's motto throughout the years here was, it's all about the kids, and I think when it comes to Alyssa, it's all about her teammates. She's someone that leads by example on the field but then also has that ability to connect with people and help motivate off the field."

"Being the first recipient is such an amazing honor and I can't thank our donors enough," Cabral said. "On behalf of myself, and my family we are so thankful to Mike, Eddie and Mrs. O'Donnell for giving me the opportunity to get this scholarship and play soccer here at Pace and get a meaningful education."

We recently sat down with both Alyssa and Coach Winn to talk about Joe, his legacy, Alyssa's experience at Pace, who she is, who she wants to be, lessons learned and more. CLICK HERE for the full video.

To make a gift to the Joe O'Donnell Endowed Fund for Women's Soccer visit www.pace.edu/settersclub.