Photo by Kayla Kuncheff

“Kayla is a true team player who is very skilled and has the ability to play a strong post position, where she can get some nice shots on goal,” said A.J Stuart, varsity field hockey coach. When asked how Kuncheff has improved from freshman to junior year, Stuart said, “She steps up in big games, has become more aggressive, and has really worked to improve her advanced skills.”

Kayla Kuncheff is a junior at Urbana High School who started playing field hockey freshman year when Meg Stuart, daughter of A.J Stuart, “taught me the love of the game.” Meg Stuart is one of two people Kuncheff looks up to when playing field hockey, the other being Molly Stuart, Megs sister. Both Meg and Molly are daughters of Coach Stuart.

Kuncheff said, “My favorite part is when I score a goal, because it gets all you adrenaline pumping and gets you hyped to win the game.” Kuncheff also has a favorite part about playing for Urbana. She said, “The bond between all the girls on the team, how well we work together, and our class makes Urbana the best team to play for.”

This season has been going well for the Hawks in field hockey. They are 9-1-0 against Frederick county teams as of 10/19/16, and are #2 in the county. “We are on the road to states, and will hopefully win the rest of our in-county games,” said Kuncheff. Kuncheff’s best game this season was her game against Catoctin. “I got a hatrick and two assists, and had my best play of the season. I hit a chip shot that went upper 90’s,” said Kuncheff. Looks like Stuart wasn’t lying about the best chip shot on the team.

When she’s not playing for Urbana, Kuncheff plays field hockey year round for Metro HC. After high school, Kuncheff said she would love to continue her field hockey career in college.