Soccer standout Hannah Stuck had good role model

Ed Phillipps | Post Gazette

After years spent on the pitch as a star player turned coach, Becky Stuck has finally found her way to the stands. A part of her, however, remains on the field.

Stuck, who was Becky Guna back in her playing days, graduated from Peters Township in 1990 with 102 career goals, the second most in school history. Nowadays, it’s Hannah Stuck, who is Becky’s daughter, taking a star turn for the Indians.

Hannah Stuck is a junior forward coming off a sophomore campaign in which her 22 goals and 10 assists landed her a spot on the Post-Gazette All-Area team. Over the summer, she committed to play at Bucknell University.

“I’m enjoying just being a spectator and watching her play,” said Becky Stuck, who is a personal trainer and fitness consultant. “It’s been a great transition. It’s been pretty neat just watching her follow the same routine and same things I did in high school. They even do the same pregame cheer that we started when I was a sophomore.”

Becky Stuck coached Hannah until her daughter arrived at Peters Township, where she is now coached by Pat Vereb. Hannah still gets pointers from her mom when they go over each game. Even without being on the same sideline, mom and daughter are as close as ever.

“My mom is my biggest role model and my best friend,” said Hannah Stuck. “I know she really enjoys watching. She’s come to every single game. She’s always there supporting and cheering really loud in the stands.”

Hannah said that she has been told that her and her mother are very different types of players. Becky Guna was an athletic scorer, while Hannah Stuck is a fearless high flyer who can soar through the air and bury a header into the net. There’s yet another family member who played a role in Hannah’s style of play.

Matt Stuck was a senior midfielder on the boys team last season. He now attends Ohio State and still remains very close to his little sister.

Becky Stuck said she never pushed her kids toward soccer. But once Matt made his choice, Hannah’s was inevitable.

“Ever since she could walk, she wanted to do what her brother did,” said Becky Stuck. “Even when they got a little bit older, if her brother’s team had a short roster, she would fill in on his team growing up. She just loved that incentive of playing with older kids and tougher and bigger kids.”

There were plenty times that Hannah got knocked down. But she always got back up. That instilled in her a toughness that’s evident today.

“That’s one of the big reasons why I’ve been able to be successful,” Hannah Stuck said. “Playing up with the boys, especially the older boys, taught me to get used to the contact. For people who don’t play soccer, it’s hard to understand why you would jump in the air headfirst. It’s a lot more physical than people think. There’s hard tackles, there’s 50-50 balls. It gets physical out there.”

After a lifetime waiting for her opportunity, Hannah Stuck has the spotlight at Peters Township (6-1, 4-1 Class 4A Section 2) all to herself while reminding people of the family members who paved the way.

“She’s been waiting for this moment to be on the high school team,” said Vereb. “It’s just in her nature.”