Focus teammates continue field hockey careers at Penn State and in the FIH World Youth Hockey Festival: Takahashi-Trader sisters

Kaila and Kira Takahashi-Trader pictured wearing their USA Field Hockey uniforms. Photo: Submitted

In the Takahashi-Trader household, the start of the 2026 field hockey season comes with twice the excitement. 

Sisters Kira and Kaila Takahashi-Trader, both standouts from Yorktown, Virginia, are opening the year on different stages — one in college, the other on the international scene — and doing it with plenty of mutual support. 

Kira, the older sister, is beginning preseason training as a freshman at Penn State. Kaila, meanwhile, is headed across the pond to represent USA Field Hockey’s U-16 women’s team at the World Youth Hockey Festival. 

The festival, held Aug. 14 to Aug. 25 alongside the World Cup, brings together club and national team rosters from around the world, according to USA Field Hockey. 

The tour includes training sessions, warm-up matches, specialized coaching and World Cup games before festival play officially begins Friday, Aug. 21. The experience pairs elite competition with off-pitch hockey opportunities for the athletes making the trip. 

Kira already left a sizable legacy at Tabb High School, where Kaila will return after the festival. A midfielder and back, Kira totaled 42 goals and 56 assists, and helped lead Tabb to a 23-0 record, earning back-to-back All-Tidewater Player of the Year honors, according to Penn State Field Hockey. 

This summer, the sisters shared one more major field hockey milestone before Kira left for college. Both played in USA Field Hockey’s U-19 National Club Championship gold medal game as their club, Focus, reached the final for the first time. 

Kaila and Kira Takahashi-Trader. Photo: Submitted

It was the farthest Focus has advanced in the tournament. The club moved on after beating Freedom Field Hockey Club 2 to 1, scoring with no time remaining on the final penalty corner of the game. 

Focus then faced WC Eagles in the championship game and came away with the program’s first NCC silver medal after falling 6 to 1. 

For Kaila, the run was even more meaningful because it gave her another chance to compete alongside Kira. 

“I’m playing up an age group on U-19,” Kaila told Female Athlete News earlier this summer in Virginia Beach. “I feel special. I feel like this is such a special group. My sister is on the team, and it’s really special to play with her one last time before she goes off to college.” 

Now Kaila, a rising junior at Tabb and a Wake Forest commit, is preparing for an international opportunity of her own during the 2026 FIH World Cup. 

“It is an honor to play with the best of the best and to play against the best of the best,” Kaila said. 

Kaila Takahashi-Trader is pictured with the ball and scanning the field. Photo: Submitted

She knows the trip will bring challenges, from adjusting quickly to new teammates to learning different playing styles on the fly. Still, the opportunity is one she is ready to embrace. 

And whether Kaila is competing overseas or returning home to Virginia, her club teammates will be cheering her on. 

“She obviously is really helpful on the team, and everyone learns from her,” Focus athlete Lillian Harter said. “She’s really good with communicating with everyone. We’re really excited for her.” 

Harter, a James Madison field hockey commit, said Virginia has long been a field hockey state. Watching Kaila represent it on the international stage only reinforces that point. 

U-16 Women’s National Field Hockey Roster

Abigail Agostini, Fairfield, NJ

Lakshmi Almli, Glenelg, MD

Ella Arvai, Saline, MI

Alexandra Beety, Swedesboro, NJ

Alexis Buchanan, Long Valley, NJ

Jenna Butler, Doylestown, PA

Kelby Dings, Lancaster, PA

Brooke Gibbons, San Diego, CA

Kaylee Hester, Richmond, VA

Lucy Jones, Media, PA

Adelyn Martin, Lititz, PA

Lily McClay, Fairfield, CT

Lila Merlin, Saint Louis, MO

Mia Morrell, West Deptford, NJ

Mary O'Connor, Wynnewood, PA

Addie Savoie, Virginia Beach, VA

Caidyn Schmidt, Newtown Square, PA

Kaila Takahashi-Trader, Yorktown, VA

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Reach us at femaleathletenews@gmail.com with a tip or story idea.