For Alyssa and Josh Chamberlain, playing soccer at UW-Whitewater is a family affair.

“We’ve played together on the same team before, when we were younger,” Alyssa said. “Soccer is our family sport.”

In their family, Alyssa and Josh are the middle children with their older sister Lauren and younger brother Jacob, and their parents Donna and Paul. The pair hails from De Pere, Wis., and have both been playing competitive soccer since sixth grade.

Alyssa and Josh now play soccer for the Warhawks, but took very different paths to get here. Both were both drawn to Whitewater for similar reasons. The pair both left Division-I programs after being disappointed with the experience and both decided that the business school at Whitewater was best for their academic careers.

Josh transferred to UW-Whitewater two years ago from UW-Green Bay and is currently majoring in economics.

“Initially I chose [UW-]Green Bay because I wanted to play soccer at the most competitive level, but the experience wasn’t what I expected,” Josh said. “After two years, I decided I wanted to put more of an emphasis on my school work, so I came to UW-Whitewater because it had strong business and soccer programs.”

Alyssa transferred to UW-Whitewater this year from UW-Milwaukee and is currently majoring in business.

“I first chose Milwaukee because I wanted to play for a Division-I soccer program, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be and I wasn’t a big fan of the campus,” Alyssa said. “So after two years, I decided on Whitewater because I liked the setting and the business program.”

Coach Greg Henschel is thrilled they made the move.

“They’re both great people and really good soccer players and it’s been a pleasure having them here,” Henschel said. “They’ve both given us some great minutes since arriving and I think they are similar in the fact that they are both hardworking, skillful players. Both of our programs have benefited from them being here.”

Since Josh transferred, he has started in 33 of 34 games he has played in this season and has the third-most minutes played on the men’s team (945).

This is Alyssa’s first year with the women’s team, but she is already near the top in several categories. She is currently tied for fifth-most goals on the team (3), third in points (10) and is second in assists (4).

The Chamberlains have each found what their previous schools lacked at UW-Whitewater and agreed it has been nice to play a sport competitively with a sibling.

“Josh has always been kind of a role model for me and I’ve always strived to be as good as he is,” Alyssa said.

“For me I’ve always tried to set an example maybe not with the quality of my play but with my work ethic,” Josh said. “I wouldn’t say we compete against each other but we do hold each other to a higher standard.”

In preparation for their senior seasons, the duo plans to work on quickness and ball-handling skills and said working out with each other would be beneficial.

“Training together will be a big help for me because Josh has always been on another level,” Alyssa said.

“It’d be a good thing for both of us because Alyssa exhibits qualities that I struggle with,” Josh said. “She has a much calmer demeanor on the field even when she’s struggling and sometimes I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Alyssa and Josh are proud of one another’s performance on the pitch, but admire their sibling as a person away from soccer.

“Alyssa has always exhibited the most maturity of the four of us, despite her being the second youngest,” Josh said.

“I admire Josh’s big heart and his work ethic,” Alyssa said. “Not just in soccer but in anything he does; he always gives 110 percent, if not more.”