Third-year student Charlie Webb now selectively chooses when to bust out his signature celebration along the sideline of a University of Virginia field hockey game.
“First year,” Webb said of performing backflips after Cavalier goals, “it was quite often. Second year, I limited it to the tournament. And this year, we’ll just have to see.”
While the sport – goalkeeper aside – doesn’t require headgear, Webb has worn many hats during his two-plus seasons with the UVA field hockey program. He’s mainly a volunteer practice player for the Wahoos, helping the perennial power prepare for their next opponent, but his other unsung roles involve emotional and spiritual support.
“He’s the social center of our team,” said Virginia head coach Ole Keusgen, who admits he only caught Webb’s debut flip in 2023 during film review, “and I mean that.”
Webb poses at Turf Field ahead of a UVA field hockey practice. The McIntire School of Commerce student often splits his days between the field and the Breeden Commerce Grounds. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
There’s a uniqueness to Webb, stretching beyond his sideline gymnastics. His 14-hour days are mostly split between the Breeden Commerce Grounds as a student in the McIntire School of Commerce and Turf Field, where this season he’s assisting the nation’s third-ranked field hockey team.
Webb isn’t on any kind of athletic scholarship. He’s even on his own when it comes to traveling to UVA’s away games, a challenge he conquers regularly. “He flew himself to Chicago last year for the NCAA Tournament,” Keusgen recalled.
The dedication is rooted in Webb’s love for his teammates and the sport.
There’s no men’s field hockey at the NCAA level. Neither was field hockey recognized as an official boys’ high school sport in New Jersey, where Webb was born and raised. But a lack of an obvious platform didn’t stop Webb from playing then, or now.
In August, the 6-foot midfielder started all five games of the U.S. men’s field hockey team’s run to a fourth-place finish in the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay. He scored a goal in the bronze medal match against Chile.
59' USA's second goal is scored by Webb on the penalty corner 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7IccASUY59
— USA Field Hockey (@USAFieldHockey) August 18, 2025
49 cambiar, pones aburrida, y ponese Webb en el limite, diario la insistencia y con el recurso.
Webb, who’s been playing the sport since an impromptu backyard training session with friends in seventh grade, has his sights set on the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, where he hopes to be a part of the first U.S. men’s field hockey team to qualify for the Olympics in 32 years.
“It’s absolutely a goal,” Webb said. “I’ve been going down to Charlotte, which is where the national team is based, since last year. I’m also on the senior development team for the U.S. men’s squad. I’m just trying to get myself accustomed to the pace and the speed and physicality of playing at the senior level.”
“He’s good enough to play in the Olympics,” Keusgen said.
Before UVA, Webb was a manager and practice player at his Haddonfield Memorial High School in New Jersey while also playing in local men’s leagues. His skills have improved since coming to Charlottesville and joining Keusgen’s program.
