Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Hannah Stuck
School: Peters Township
Sport: Soccer
Class: Sophomore
Stuck’s week: A pair of goals in each match allowed Stuck to propel Peters Township’s soccer team to a strong start to the season.
Stuck scored those goals in matches against some powerful programs. The first came in a season-opening 3-1 nonsection victory over Sewickley Academy.
Stuck scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 21st minute as the Indians defeated State College, 4-2, in the South Hills Classic.
“Both are good teams but I think our team chemistry is really great,” said Stuck, who began playing soccer at age 5. “We’ve worked really hard.”
Through two matches, Stuck has scored four goals, or 25 percent or her total from last season. Stuck, who can play most positions but is mainly a forward, led the team with 16 goals and six assists last season and is being counted on again to be a productive player.
All in the family: Soccer didn’t seem to be a choice so much as her destiny. Her mother, Becky, was a four-time All-District player at Peters Township but had her college career derailed by a knee injury. Hannah’s brother, Matt, is a senior soccer player for the Indians and many of her extended family has a soccer background.
“Wherever we go, someone has a soccer ball,” Stuck said. “I love the competition of soccer.”
Only her older sister, Claire, strayed from the sport, choosing cross country before graduating from Peters Township last year. Hannah dabbled in basketball last season but gave it up to concentrate on soccer.
Hannah plays on the Pittsburgh-based Century United club team since age 10. Last season, Century United just missed qualifying for the national tournament. But the team did play in tournaments in North Carolina and Las Vegas. Two of her Peters Township teammates – sophomores Mia Gentile and Kaila McFerran – are on the team.
“When we go out for a (Peters Township) match, we all have a message taped to our left wrist,” Stuck said. “It says, ‘Play every game like it’s your last.'”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano