Hocking Sisters Make NWSL Draft History

26 January 2023By: Scott Stewart

PHILADELPHIA -

The 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally brought with it the usual allure of excitement and anticipation as the league welcomed another crop of budding stars. Picks No. 7 and No. 44 carried with them a special significance, though. The Chicago Red Stars selected forward Penelope Hocking early in Round 1 with that seventh pick. What turned historic, though, was Gotham FC’s selection of defender Iliana Hocking in Round 4. History was made as the Hocking twins then became the first set of sisters to be drafted in the same year in NWSL history. “I think I was more stressed to hear my sister’s name because I didn’t know when she would go, so I think I felt more stress until I heard her name and then after that I was more relaxed,” said Iliana, who also became the first University of Arizona product to be drafted. Growing up, the Hocking sisters shared everything. They went to the same school, they hung out with the same friends, they shared a room, and they shared a car. The two found themselves in competitive spirits often, though they were quick to label their “rivalry” as fun and anything but malicious. “We never fought or bickered about who had more goals or assists or anything like that. We never felt threatened by each other,” said Penelope. “But I do think there was a little bit of competitiveness there where it was a ‘oh you’re going to train? I’m going to train’ situation, just little things like that that pushed each other.” “I feel like we were competitive but it’s really good that we play completely opposite positions and that made it easier on us because if I was a forward, it might’ve been a different story,” added Iliana. “But it was always healthy competition and we pushed each other forward, and I’m really grateful for that.” It was that competitive spirit that drove them to the collegiate level as well. Out of high school, Penelope decided to play for the University of Southern California, an hour northwest of their hometown Anaheim. Iliana’s commitment to the University of Arizona, though, meant that for the first time in their careers they would be playing in different places. Now looking back, it is something they both view as a growth opportunity. “Being at different colleges has really benefitted both of us in our soccer careers just because we had very different styles of play—especially her being a forward and me being a defensive player,” said Iliana. “We both picked colleges that suited our styles of play the best and everything worked out perfectly.” Penelope could only echo the sentiment. “I think it would have been way different if I had gone with her somewhere at another school, but the schools that we went to fit our playing styles and we both were able to succeed at our programs away from each other individually. But at the same time, we were still able to grow closer off the field because of it.” Grinding away, Penelope would spend the first four years of her career with the Trojans. Her steady rise saw her start by earning the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018. Ending in the fall of 2021, she would earn First Team All-Pac-12 honors for the third time plus back-to-back All-America nods by the United Soccer Coaches. “My coaches at USC pushed me so hard and they expected a lot out of me, but they also really supported me, and I have such a great relationship with them. I love them. But also, my teammates—the people that I played with at USC—are just spectacular,” she said. Then, in 2022, Hocking made the switch to the Big Ten where she donned the Nittany Lions’ colors as a member of the Penn State University squad. “At Penn State, I filled a different role. I was a leader at USC by the time I left, but at Penn State I had to sit back and learn a lot, but I felt so much support and love from not only the staff but the University and my teammates—really everyone at the school. It’s so hard to step into a new program and perform and I think I had it the best honestly because of the place I was at.” Meanwhile, in the Grand Canyon State, Iliana was carving out her own soccer story as she played all five seasons with Arizona. A mainstay of the program early on, Iliana competed in 40 games for the Wildcats in her first two seasons before a hip injury forced her into limited playing time in her junior and senior seasons. 2022 saw Iliana finish her collegiate career strong as she logged over 1100 minutes across all 18 matches, 17 of which she started in. The two weren’t total strangers throughout their time in school; USC and the University of Arizona clashed once a year thanks to conference play, though the results were lopsided in USC’s favor. In 2018, their first meeting saw the sisters both appear off the bench in USC’s 2-0 win in Los Angeles. 2019 was a similar story as Penelope’s Trojans earned a narrow 1-0 win over the Wildcats. Then, wins for USC in the spring and fall seasons in 2021 saw Penelope score once in each game as the Trojans swept Arizona in the Hocking sisters’ careers. 2022 saw the sisters close out their careers strong at Penn State and Arizona. Then, the pair again found themselves looking to accomplish the same goal—hearing their name called in the 2023 NWSL Draft. For Penelope, it was a culmination of all her years of training and competing at a high level. “I didn’t know what emotions I was going to have in that moment, but I just remember being so happy to one, be in Chicago, and two, hear my name getting called,” she said. “I’ve worked so hard up to this point in my career to hear my name called and to go early was such a blessing.” For Iliana, though, expectations were slightly different. “I feel like it was almost a little bit of surprise and just pure happiness. I kind of like to keep my expectations low sometimes just because I really didn’t know what my outcome was going to be in the draft. So, hearing my name was just truly shocking honestly,” she said. “I just remember screaming because I didn’t know if my name was going to get called.” Now, like at the collegiate level, the two are preparing for their respective seasons to come with the chance of facing each other once again looming near. “The sibling rivalry just continues, and that’s fun,” said Penelope. “I’ll be able to visit her in her city and she’ll be able to visit me in my city, and whoever beats the other gets bragging rights for the following year. That’ll be fun to bicker about.” As all eyes turn toward preseason in the weeks to come though, the sisters are still relishing the opportunity of playing at the highest level possible, and to be able to have each other as they embark on their professional careers. “Even though we’re on different teams, I think it’s going to be nice that we have each other to lean on still even though we’re far away because we probably are going to go through a similar experience,” added Iliana. “It’s still nice to have someone to go through this together with.” The 2023 NWSL season , the league’s 11 ^th season, begins on Saturday, March 25.