Welcome to the League
Penelope Hocking, the first-round draft pick from Penn State, has played in all three regular season matches for the Red Stars this season. While it took some time for the rookie to get adjusted, Saturday night Hocking announced her arrival in the league by scoring a brace against Kansas City. Hocking is the second Red Stars player in team history to score a brace within her first three appearances.
Road Test
This weekend’s match in Seattle will be the second road game of the young season for the Red Stars. Including the loss in San Diego to start the season, the Red Stars have had a bad run of luck on the road having lost their last three road games going back to last season. The team’s last road win was August 27, 2022, against Racing Louisville FC. The Red Stars head into Seattle after an impressive win against Kansas City, but without Mallory Swanson. This will be a test for the club to see how they fair on the road against last year’s NWSL Shield winners.
Team on 3!
Entering week 4, and despite the slow start, the Red Stars rank in the top five NWSL teams in goals (7), assists (2) and shots on goal (15). Penelope Hocking, after her brace, also ranks in the top five in goals scored (2), behind Crystal Dunn (2), Alex Morgan and Ashley Hatch (3) and Sophia Smith (4). Not bad company to be in for the rookie. While not officially ranked in the top five, Cheyna Matthews and Ella Stevens’ assists put them within striking distance of breaking the top five in the assists category. Matthews, who made her first start as a Red Star last week, also forced an own goal by AD Franch with a brave strike that ricocheted off the goalkeeper. Stevens added a goal to her stats when she broke the game open in the fourth minute with a laser shot on a loose ball in the Kansas City 18-yard box.
