Texas freshman midfielder Sadie Hoch has been exposed to greatness since the day she was born.

Her mother, Tisha Venturini-Hoch, is a National Soccer Hall of Famer most known for her contributions on the United States Women’s National Team. It was there she won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and a Women’s World Cup in 1999.

Sadie started to realize her mom’s past success when she traveled with her to TeamFirst soccer camps, ran by her mom and two other USWNT legends, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly. According to Tisha, Sadie was a bit confused by the attention her mom was receiving, but it never really bothered her.

“At first, she’s kind of like, what’s the big deal?” Tisha said. “I don’t think she was ever overwhelmed by it, or too impressed, which I love.”

It’s easy to assume Tisha’s history with soccer pressured Sadie into pursuing the sport, but Sadie never felt that at all. Tisha wanted her daughter to find her passion — one that brings you experiences and relationships that last a lifetime.

“She made sure that everything came from me wanting to do it,” Sadie said. “She
wanted me to find the love myself.”

And that’s what she did.

Sadie played a lot of sports growing up, but in the end, she was determined to become a soccer player. Luckily, she had a pretty good mentor to guide her along the way. Tisha was often involved with Sadie’s teams growing up, including being an assistant coach at her high school squad.

“It was really nice to have my best friend kind of there always,” Sadie said. “Not often you get to be coached by someone as decorated as she is, let alone it be your mom. So that was pretty cool.”

For Tisha, the experience gave her a front row seat to Sadie’s development as a player, but more importantly, as a person.

“She became a leader,” Tisha said.

With a pedigree comes expectations, and while Sadie never felt pressure from her mom, she did feel some pressure to live up to her past. But she also said soccer is her “escape,” and she’s not worried about the pressure surrounding her when she’s playing.

That freedom on the pitch helped her become a highly sought-after recruit in
the 2024 class. Her college decision was made much easier thanks to her life-
long relationship with Texas head coach Ange Kelly.

Kelly was Tisha’s teammate and roommate at North Carolina, where they won four straight national championships together from 1991-1994. That connection has been intact since their college days, making Kelly a familiar face in Sadie’s life.

“That was the selling point,” Sadie said. “Coach Kelly is truly one of a kind. … She’s someone who’s brought such an inspiration to me growing up.”

After college, Sadie has dreams of playing professionally like her mom, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. Ultimately, Tisha wants her daughter to become the best version of herself, soccer or not.
“We’re not thinking this is all for soccer,” Tisha said. “Maybe you do (pursue soccer), or maybe you can’t, but ultimately I just want her to have a good, fun, positive experience.”

Sadie’s career will naturally be compared to her mom’s, but she’s building her own legacy.

And it’s just getting started.