August 31, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Bay FC News Release
San Francisco – Bay FC acquired forward Penelope Hocking from the Chicago Red Stars Hocking prior to the transfer window closing on Aug. 30 in exchange for $250,000 in intra-league transfer funds in 2024 plus an additional $100,000 in intra-league transfer funds in 2025, it was announced today.
“We are incredibly excited to add what we believe is one of the best young talents in the league right now to our team,” said Head Coach Albertin Montoya. “Penelope will make an instant impact as she adds another dimension to our attack and an ability to score goals from all areas of the field. On top of that, she is a tremendous person, and we are thrilled to welcome her to club as we continue to push toward our goal of earning a playoff berth.”
The seventh overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Hocking appeared in 29 regular season matches (26 starts) for Chicago during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, tallying seven goals and two assists. This season with the Red Stars, Hocking tallied four goals and one assist across 13 appearances (12 starts). Her four goals ranked tied for second-most on the team. The Anaheim, Calif. native made her NWSL debut on March 25, 2023, against San Diego Wave FC and recorded her first goal and career brace on April 15, 2023, against the Kansas City Current.
Hocking played her fifth season at Penn State in 2022 after four years at USC from 2018-21. In 2022 with the Nittany Lions, Hocking appeared in 23 matches (22 starts) with seven goals and 11 assists. She earned second team All-Big Ten and first team All-North Region honors. During her time at USC, Hocking made 72 appearances (53 starts), finishing with 54 goals and 22 assists. In her final season with the Trojans in 2021, she became the school’s all-time leading goal scorer, earning All-American honors for a second straight campaign. That same season she was also named Pac-12 Forward of the Year, first team All-Region and first team All-Pac 12. She is the only USC player to ever record double-digit goal totals in four straight seasons.
As a youth international, she played with the U.S. U-20s, making her first appearance in a friendly against France in 2018. She competed for the U-20s at the 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup in France, appearing as a substitute against Spain and Paraguay.
Penelope Hocking
Position: Forward
Height: 5-5
Birthdate: Dec. 29, 1999
Hometown: Anaheim, Calif.
Previous Club: Chicago Red Stars (NWSL)
College:…