The Penn State Women’s Soccer Roster has officially added three transfers to the 2022 Roster. publication Earlier this week.
Forward Penelope Hooking, midfielder Olivia Smith and defender Cathy Hyatt are coming to Happy Valley.Officially on Tuesday, Hyatt, who used to play at Texas Tech, Announced her commitment to Erica Danbach’s program last week. With three transfer commitments, Nittany Lions ranked No. 1 in the 2022 Recruit Class Ranking nationwide. According to TopDrawerSoccer..
Hocking, a USC graduate, plays for a Trojan horse for four years and uses her final year’s Nittany Lions qualifications. A native from Anaheim, California, became USC’s greatest goal scorer in history with 54 career goals in 2021 and was named to Team 3 All-American during her fourth year.
To name a few, Hocking won the 2021 Pac-12 Forward of the Year Award, was named First Team All-Pac-12 in 2021, and was First Team All-American in 2020. In addition, Hocking was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018. She made 53 starts in 72 games during her career at USC.
By hacking, the Trojan set a 14-3-3 overall record in the 2021 season. Lost to Pennsylvania State University in a penalty shootout in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Danbach’s second transfer commitment came from a 17-year-old midfielder Olivia Smith, a freshman from Florida. Smith originally signed to play at Florida State University in December and attended Seminole’s spring training, but eventually withdrew and chose blue and white.
At the age of 15, Smith became the youngest player to make a roster for the Canada Women’s National Team in 2019, putting two caps on the team. Since then, Smith has played for the U-20 Canada Women’s National Team and she has been named the 2019 Canada Youth International Player of the Year.
“This spring, the transfer portal was very good for us, and we were able to bring great talent to Happy Valley,” said Associate Head Coach Ancook.
Along with Hyatt, both Hocking and Smith could help Nittany Lions improve their overall 2021 12-8-1 record. In addition, Penn State Women’s Soccer has signed seven freshmen in the 2022 recruitment class. The recruitment class was ranked 5th nationwide before Hooking, Smith, and Hyatt’s commitment. Currently, it is located at the top of the country.
