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Penelope Hocking
American soccer player (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
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Youth career
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
USC Trojans
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
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]
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Club career
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Chicago Red Stars
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Chicago Red Stars selected Hocking with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[11][12] 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
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
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
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]
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Career statistics
- As of match played August 2, 2025
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL Playoffs
Honors
Penn State Nittany Lions
Individual
- Pac-12 Conference Forward of the Year: 2020, 2021[10]
- Hermann Trophy semifinalist: 2020[10]
References
External links
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