WVU women's soccer addition Hannah Stuck brings strong fundamental play and championship experience to program

 Any sports coach worth their salt will tell you that success in their sport requires building a roster of talent that can fill different roles in the program. In soccer, for example, it's just as important to have a midfield that can facilitate as it is strikers placing shot after shot on goal.

 So just because you don’t often see recent WVU women’s soccer addition Hannah Stuck light up a box score with multiple goals and assists, don’t underestimate the role she could play in returning the program to championship-caliber play.

WVU women’s soccer head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown announced Wednesday that Stuck, a former Bucknell Bison midfielder, will join the program for the 2024 season -- Stuck herself announced her intent to commit on her Twitter/X account in January.

Stuck was a co-captain who started every match her senior year at Bucknell, and she was highlighted in a video feature by Bucknell Athletics last October as a player who “makes certain to do the little things” to help her team win.

During that interview, Stuck discussed her commitment to paying attention to fundamentals and unselfish play while on the pitch.

“Those things that a lot of players don’t want to do, I have the heart to do, so I feel like that’s kind of what I sell myself on and pride myself on,” she said. “I think, also too, going with 100 percent effort, it becomes contagious around the team. So I do pride myself on that hard work rate, and bringing effort to every practice and every single game.”

Stuck also had a bit of a breakout season as a contributor to her team’s scoring effort. She tallied two goals and five assists on the season, the latter being good for sixth overall in the Patriot League.

“I feel like this year I’ve definitely been in the stats a lot more. I feel like our team this year is very cohesive, so I feel like every single player is having a bigger role…I’m just happy to do my part and keep winning with the team,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest asset Stuck will provide is her experience contributing to a winning program. Stuck at least saw action in every match Bucknell played from 2021-2023, a stretch which saw the Bison capture three consecutive Patriot League titles.

For Nikki Izzo-Brown’s program, which has made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances under her tenure but finished just 7-8-4 last season, adding another piece to the team that has consistent experience as a major contributor to a program winning conference championships could be priceless.