Ally Sentnor's rise to the No. 1 overall pick

The 2024 NWSL saw two teammates front the University of North Carolina at the top of the draft board. Midfielder Ally Sentnor was selected first overall by the Utah Royals and her teammate defender Savy King was selected No. 2 overall by the Bay FC.

Sentnor grew up in Hanson, Massachusetts, in Boston’s South Shore. She was the oldest of three children, and started playing soccer at age four. It was said she scored so often as a child that her father (who was also her coach) would put her in goal, or only let her score with her non-dominated foot. 

As Sentnor got older she trained with the boys teams and also played futsal, an indoor variant of soccer that helped her with her skills of moving the ball in tight quarters. She graduated a year early from Thayer Academy in 2021, where she began playing varsity soccer as an eighth grader. 

Sentnor attended the University of North Carolina in the fall of 2021, but tore her ACL literally minutes into her first preseason game of the year. It took nine months to rehab the injury and she finally got back on a college field in the fall of 2022. She scored in her debut against UNC-Wilmington and ended her redshirt season scoring 10 goals, including five in the NCAA tournament, where North Carolina made it to the finals. She was named All-ACC first team after the 2022 season.

Sentnor had a strong 2023 season, leading the team in goals with 11 goals and seven assists and was named the ACC Midfielder of the Year, first-team All ACC, and third-team All-American.

In the off-season Sentnor announced that she would be forgoing her college eligibility to play pro, and was selected No. 1 overall by Utah.

Ally Sentnor also plays a big part on the international stage, and has since she was young. She was the youngest player at age 12, at an under-14 camp in 2016. She traveled to Germany as the youngest member of the under-15 team, scoring five goals in two games. In 2018, Sentnor was named the most valuable player for the under-18 team in 2019. She scored four goals at the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship to help her team qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Sentnor has not looked overmatched in her first season in the NWSL. She has scored three goals and added three assists in 16 matches, while averaging 88.5 minutes per match. 

The 20-year-old is just scratching the surface of her abilities and will be a player to watch in the NWSL as well as in international play.