How Bay FC’s Penelope Hocking is catching fire in NWSL: ‘When I started scoring goals, they just kept coming’

Only a year after writing history as only the second expansion team that once reached the NWSL play -offs in their inaugural season, Bay FC Is back in the mix during their favorite part of the year. They are hunting to prove that their 2024 run was no coincidence, and now that the second half of the season is officially underway after a summer vacation for international tournaments, Bay FC wants a repeated playoff performance.

Bay FC Vooruit Penelope Hocking At the end of last season, the team arrived on time, on time for their play -off push, and she remembers the increase in the team that the team was a year ago. The group won three of their last five games to launch themselves as a seventh seed in the late season, and in the quarterfinals the final NWSL championship of 2024 pushed to 2024 Washington Spirit In extra time, where Hocking recorded her second assist from the team.

This year she is the leading goal scorer of the club with five goals, where four of them scored about the last six games of Bay FC.

“I know that teams were afraid to play us at the moment last year, and they have to fear again at this time of the year, just because we have something to prove,” said Hocking on Sunday for Bay FC’s rivalry weekend (1 pm and CBS).

“I know that teams are not taking us lightly, even though we are on the bottom half of the rankings. I know people are like,” Shit, we have to play Bay FC this weekend? “As if it will be a difficult one.

Develop a rivalry

It is difficult to label a rivalry between two teams that have only met twice during the first year of existence of one team. While other clubs with regional feud are gathering this week, Bay FC will be confronted Chicago Stars FCOn the road in Seatgeek Stadium for only the fourth time in their short franchise history. You take about one historical game into account in the iconic Ballpark Wigley Field, and perhaps it will be the catalyst for some to bring a rivalry on the market.

While many NWSL Faithful will be the first to call a manufactured rivalry depercafesThere is still sufficient tradition around the coming match. Including the arrival of Hocking in the Bay Area from Chicago last year, and sometimes players movement between clubs builds more rivalry in the stands than on the field. Hocking’s focus is on her new club and teammates, their recent increase and the career year she has – although it was not a simple process in the beginning.

“It was super challenging. I don’t think I realized how challenging it was until I got there, just like, learning a new team, new structure, being in Chicago for almost two years and then going into a brand new environment. It was a kind of whirlwind, in the beginning, in the beginning [for me] or end of the season [for Bay] Also, “she says about her arrival last year.

“But then starting over in the preseason, and like, a kind of learning from the structure and getting my feet a bit under me, is still very difficult. I felt, when I started to score goals, they just kept coming. So it was really nice. It was great. It is great. I have the feeling that we have played well … The ball has just found my feet more.

Hocking’s sentiments Mirror Bay FC’s wish to claw his way back to the Postseason interview 2025. She was a player for which they made one step for stimulating the schedule, and they added more pieces with free agent defender Kelli Hbleand first -year prospects in midfielders Taylor Huff And Hannah isn’t. There have been competitions this season that have shown the growing pains from a group that evolves together, but the team is only three points on the play -off line, and there is still a lot of season left to make a statement.

“I feel that we have something to prove the competition,” says Hocking. “I think we dropped points in games in the first half of the season where we really shouldn’t have done it, and to be honest, like that makes me angry,” Hocking explained.

“Because, you know, I know we have to win games. We know we can win games, we can. We are almost, probably, every team stay in the competition, and I don’t doubt that we can beat every team in the competition. I think we have such a great team. We peak at the right time. And once it is not to stop, I think we are.”

Hocking is approaching a year at Bay FC, after he was prepared in 2023 and was then traded at the end-2024 season from the Chicago stars, and the differences in acclimatizing a team halfway through the year versus to show a team with a team. Her five goals perform better than her expected target percentage (XG 4.54), a career high and the best in the team this season.

A new club environment and close to home and family are just a few of the differences for Hocking in her third year in the competition. Adjusting new coaching styles and tactics has also played a role in her breakout year.

Regarding who has “won” the trade that Hocking sent for $ 350k in Intra-League funds? At the moment, trending is the direction of the bay in terms of a career year for Hocking and the club at a striking distance from the Playoff line, while Chicago is currently closer to the elimination of position than the actual late season.

“The [Bay FC] Coaching style is just very, very different. And I loved [former Stars FC manager] Lorne’s [Donaldson] Coaching style, and I also love the coaching style of our team. They are just different and something to get used to. Just like the staff, as we played, I have the feeling that we were playing a completely different structure and clearly a different way than in Chicago, “Hocking said.

“So, just get used to playing more possession style, instead of just trying to achieve the goal in the least possible passes possible, as that was a kind of our game plan in Chicago. And then play more built up, possession, possession. It was just a bit different for me, even a lot of getting used to, but I really like my feet and people.

Second half play -off push

Building on budding chemistry will be the key to the Bay process if they want a repeated appearance in the play -offs. The attacking partnership of Hocking with teammate Racheal Kundananji has noticed while the duo continues to build together. Kundananji’s ruthless efforts are remarkable. Although they no longer have goals (one) in her team that leads 38 shots, it has not prevented the player from repeatedly attacking the goal and constantly looking for Hocking as an extra exhaust valve.

“It’s so great to play with someone like them. She just got that bit. And I think it’s great that if someone just wants to go to the goal and I am like that, I am there with you. It’s really cool to play her, and I feel that we have always had a little in the competition,” said behind her, but more to play.

“Even in practice, as if we always try to be on the same page. If a representative does not go our way, we will always try to repair it. We will even watch movies together, such as, we point to things in games. So I think we always try to help each other, and we have both been very receptive to each other’s feedback.

Balancing team and personal goals

Bay FC is a franchise that still builds team culture and history. While the club set the bar high with a play -off appearance in his inaugural season, there are growth pains en route. Before the regular season 2025, Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya was below Research into accusations of a poisonous working environmentand club managers stated that Montoya would continue with the club as Complaints were related to “communication -challenges” and supported Montoya on the sidelines for 2025. Last month a research report was found Montoya has not violated the NWSL intimidation and bullying policy.

The group returned to the regular season with a 2-2 draw against Houston Dash. It is already a better start of how they completed the first half of the season, on a two-game skid for the international break of the summer. For Hocking and the team, a push feels like a well -known place for them and a match load that they are ready to embrace.

“I think we have such a great team. We peak at the right time. And you know, it is just like the last piece, and once that clicks that, I think we can’t stop. I know our team knows, such as, we have so much confidence. When we have lost games, I have seen back just as quickly, and we have that fight in us.”