Wikipedia

Penelope Hocking

Penelope Elizabeth Hocking (born December 29, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the USC Trojans, where she became the program's all-time top scorer and was named first-team All-American. She also played for the Penn State Nittany Lions before being selected by the Chicago Red Stars in the first round of the 2023 NWSL Draft.

Penelope Hocking
Hocking with Bay FC in 2024
Personal information
Full name Penelope Elizabeth Hocking[1]
Date of birth (1999-12-29) December 29, 1999 (age 24)[2]
Place of birth Anaheim, California, United States
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Bay FC
Number 55
Youth career
So Cal Blues
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 USC Trojans 72 (54)
2022 Penn State Nittany Lions 23 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Chicago Red Stars 28 (7)
2024– Bay FC 0 (0)
International career‡
2018 United States U20
2022 United States U23
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 16, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 15, 2023

Youth career

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Hocking grew up in Anaheim, California, and played high school soccer for Canyon High School.[3][4][5]

She played youth soccer for SoCal Blues, with which she won the 2015 ECNL U15 National Championship.[6]

College career

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USC Trojans, 2018–2021

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Hocking played NCAA Division I women's soccer for the USC Trojans from 2018 to 2021. She was named the Pac-12 Conference freshman of the year in 2018, three-time All-Pac-12 from 2019 to 2021, two-time Pac 12 forward of the year in 2020 and 2021, and first-team All-American in 2020.[7] She set a program record for career goals scored on October 7, 2021, with her 49th, surpassing the previous record held by Isabelle Harvey since 2000.[8] She finished her career with the Trojans with 54 goals scored, at the time the 12th most in Pac-12 history,[7][9] in her 72 career games played.[10]

Penn State Nittany Lions, 2022

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In 2022, Hocking transferred to Penn State to play her extra year of NCAA eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] She scored seven goals, and her 11 assists tied for the Big Ten Conference lead for the season.[7][11]

Club career

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National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Chicago Red Stars selected Hocking with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[11][12]

Chicago Red Stars, 2023–2024

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On March 20, 2023, Hocking signed a three-year contract with the Red Stars, with an option for a fourth year.[13]

On March 25, 2023, Hocking made her debut for the Red Stars in a 2–3 loss against San Diego Wave FC as a starter.[14] On April 15, in her third start and appearance, Hocking scored her first professional goals as a brace against Kansas City Current in a 4–2 victory.[15]

Bay FC, 2024–

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On August 31, 2024, Chicago traded Hocking to fellow NWSL side Bay FC for a $350,000 transfer fee, one of the largest in women's soccer history. The trade was made so that Hocking could play for a team closer to her home.[16]

International career

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Hocking played for the United States women's national under-20 soccer team and competed in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[4][17] She was also named to the under-23 roster for training camp in January 2022 and also for the 2022 Thorns Spring Invitational pre-season tournament against NWSL teams in March 2022.[18]

Personal life

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Hocking's parents are former Cypress College basketball player Venetta Dorlis and former Major League Baseball player Denny Hocking. Her paternal grandmother was a youth soccer coach.[4] Hocking has a fraternal twin sister, Iliana, and they were the first twins born to a member of the Minnesota Twins.[19][20] Penelope and Iliana played together at Canyon High School.[5]

Penelope and Iliana were the first sisters selected in the same NWSL Draft. Iliana played collegiate soccer as a midfielder for the Arizona Wildcats, a Pac-12 rival of USC that pitted the sisters against each other.[21] Iliana was drafted by NJ/NY Gotham FC with the 44th overall pick.[22]

At the University of Southern California, Hocking majored in computer science.[23]

Career statistics

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As of match played March 16, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chicago Red Stars 2023 NWSL 16 3 3 2 — 19 5
2024 1 0 — — 1 0
Career total 17 3 3 2 0 0 20 5
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs

Honors

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Penn State Nittany Lions

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018 – List of Players: USA U20 (women)" (PDF). FIFA. July 26, 2018. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Penelope Hocking". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Girls soccer athlete of the week: Penelope Hocking, Canyon". The Orange County Register. February 1, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Hays, Graham (September 27, 2019). "The two sides to USC soccer phenom Penelope Hocking's relentlessness". ESPN. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Turner, Andrew (January 29, 2016). "Canyon's Hocking sisters enjoying the sweet life". The Orange County Register. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  6. ^ "2015–16". www.scblues.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Penelope Hocking". Penn State Nittany Lions. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Penelope Hocking Breaks USC Women's Soccer's Career Scoring Record in 4–1 Win Over Colorado" (Press release). USC Trojans. October 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Penelope Hocking". USC Trojans. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "Penn State signs three women's soccer transfers from Texas Tech, USC, Florida State". SoccerWire. June 1, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Nieves, Nicole (January 12, 2023). "Penn State women's soccer's Penelope Hocking selected by Chicago Red Stars in 2023 NWSL Draft". Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Booth, Chuck; Herrera, Sandra (January 12, 2023). "2023 NWSL Draft tracker: Complete list of picks as phenom Alyssa Thompson goes No. 1 to Angel City FC". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Chatz, Joe (March 20, 2023). "Chicago Red Stars Sign 3 Draft Picks to NWSL Contracts" (Press release). On Tap Sports Net. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Chatz, Joe (March 26, 2023). "Red Stars Falter Late in 3–2 Loss to San Diego Wave". On Tap Sports Net. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Rantz, Susie (April 16, 2023). "OL Reign, Gotham FC win in stoppage time in NWSL". Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Salazar, Emmanuel (2024-08-31). "Chicago Red Stars Trade Forward, Penelope Hocking, to Bay FC". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  17. ^ Vorva, Jeff (January 15, 2023). "Red Stars hire new GM, draft four players amid flurry of moves". The Reporter. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  18. ^ "U.S. U-23 Women's Youth National Team Will Face Three NWSL Teams In The 2022 Thorns Preseason Tournament" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. February 23, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Koslow, Air (October 14, 2021). "Competitive upbringing propels Wildcats midfielder Iliana Hocking". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Henderson, Martin (June 27, 2000). "Hocking's Versatility Has Led to Longevity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  21. ^ Kelly, David (October 7, 2019). "Hocking sisters carving out a conference rivalry". KVOA. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  22. ^ Stewart, Scott (January 26, 2023). "Hocking Sisters Make NWSL Draft History" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "A Star Is Born". Viterbi Magazine. No. Spring 2020. USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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