University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: U.S. Soccer
Four Tar Heels Nominated For Annual U.S. Soccer Awards
December 11, 2023 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Two of five players on the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year ballot are Tar Heels, as Savy King and Ally Sentnor were both nominated for the prestigious award. Additionally, former North Carolina standouts Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox are up for U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
King and Sentnor are accompanied by fellow Young Female Player of the Year nominees Onyeka Gamero, Olivia Moultrie and Alyssa Thompson. The duo of Dunn and Fox is joined by Naomi Girma, Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith for Female Player of the Year.
Fans can vote for both awards here, and also on ussoccer.com. The fan vote will account for 15 percent of the overall vote tally with the rest coming from U.S. National Team players, coaches, media and other constituents.Â
Voting begins on Monday, Dec. 11 at noon ET and concludes on Monday, Dec. 18 at noon ET. The winners will be announced in January 2024.
A fast and physical defender, King was one of the USA's top players at the U-17 WYNT level before moving up to the U-20s this year. She started all five games at the 2023 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship in June, helping the U.S. to a runner-up finish while qualifying for the 2024 U-20 World Cup.
King began her freshman season at UNC soon after, starting all 23 matches and leading the team with 2,030 minutes at center back. She was named to the All-ACC Second Team, ACC All-Freshman Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Second Team in addition to twice being tabbed as the ACC Defensive Player of the Week.Â
A year after captaining the U-20 team in the 2022 World Cup, Sentnor played in all five games for the stars and stripes at the 2023 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship, earning four starts. She led the USA in scoring with four goals and two assists, which included two goals in the 5-2 win over Canada to win the group.Â
Returning to Chapel Hill for her redshirt-sophomore season, Sentnor started all 23 contests and concluded the season with a team-high 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points, including four goals and three assists in the NCAA Tournament. She was named the ACC Midfielder of the Year, also garnering United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-America, All-Atlantic Region First Team and All-ACC First Team praise.
This is the third Young Female Player of the Year nomination for Sentnor, who has five goals in her 10 U-20 caps.
Since its inception in 1998, eight Tar Heels have been named the Young Female Player of the Year by U.S. Soccer. The winners include inaugural award recipient and current U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow (1998), Lorrie Fair (1999), Lindsay Tarpley (2002), Catherine Reddick (2003), Heather O'Reilly (2004), Lori Chalupny (2005), Tobin Heath (2009) and Brianna Pinto (2019).Â
Twenty-two of the 25 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year winners have earned caps with the full USWNT, and 15 of them have gone on to play in a FIFA World Cup.Â
Dunn played all but eight minutes at the World Cup, helping the USWNT hold opponents to just two shots on goal and one goal allowed. She rose to No. 25 on the team's all-time caps list with 140 international appearances, starting 14 games in 2023. At the club level, she made 19 appearances and scored five goals, her most in league play since 2019, as the Thorns finished in second place in the NWSL.
Earning her first nomination for Player of the Year, Fox was a standout at outside back throughout the year and played all but eight minutes for the USWNT during her World Cup debut in Australia/New Zealand. She finished the year second in minutes played and netted her first international goal, against the Republic of Ireland in April. Traded to the North Carolina Courage before the 2023 season, she helped her club win the NWSL Challenge Cup and finish third in the regular season standings.
Four Tar Heels have combined for 11 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year honors: April Heinrichs (1986, 1989), Kristine Lilly (1993, 2005, 2006), Mia Hamm (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) and Tobin Heath (2016).
Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
King and Sentnor are accompanied by fellow Young Female Player of the Year nominees Onyeka Gamero, Olivia Moultrie and Alyssa Thompson. The duo of Dunn and Fox is joined by Naomi Girma, Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith for Female Player of the Year.
Fans can vote for both awards here, and also on ussoccer.com. The fan vote will account for 15 percent of the overall vote tally with the rest coming from U.S. National Team players, coaches, media and other constituents.Â
Voting begins on Monday, Dec. 11 at noon ET and concludes on Monday, Dec. 18 at noon ET. The winners will be announced in January 2024.
A fast and physical defender, King was one of the USA's top players at the U-17 WYNT level before moving up to the U-20s this year. She started all five games at the 2023 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship in June, helping the U.S. to a runner-up finish while qualifying for the 2024 U-20 World Cup.
King began her freshman season at UNC soon after, starting all 23 matches and leading the team with 2,030 minutes at center back. She was named to the All-ACC Second Team, ACC All-Freshman Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Second Team in addition to twice being tabbed as the ACC Defensive Player of the Week.Â
A year after captaining the U-20 team in the 2022 World Cup, Sentnor played in all five games for the stars and stripes at the 2023 Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship, earning four starts. She led the USA in scoring with four goals and two assists, which included two goals in the 5-2 win over Canada to win the group.Â
Returning to Chapel Hill for her redshirt-sophomore season, Sentnor started all 23 contests and concluded the season with a team-high 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points, including four goals and three assists in the NCAA Tournament. She was named the ACC Midfielder of the Year, also garnering United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-America, All-Atlantic Region First Team and All-ACC First Team praise.
This is the third Young Female Player of the Year nomination for Sentnor, who has five goals in her 10 U-20 caps.
Since its inception in 1998, eight Tar Heels have been named the Young Female Player of the Year by U.S. Soccer. The winners include inaugural award recipient and current U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow (1998), Lorrie Fair (1999), Lindsay Tarpley (2002), Catherine Reddick (2003), Heather O'Reilly (2004), Lori Chalupny (2005), Tobin Heath (2009) and Brianna Pinto (2019).Â
Twenty-two of the 25 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year winners have earned caps with the full USWNT, and 15 of them have gone on to play in a FIFA World Cup.Â
Dunn played all but eight minutes at the World Cup, helping the USWNT hold opponents to just two shots on goal and one goal allowed. She rose to No. 25 on the team's all-time caps list with 140 international appearances, starting 14 games in 2023. At the club level, she made 19 appearances and scored five goals, her most in league play since 2019, as the Thorns finished in second place in the NWSL.
Earning her first nomination for Player of the Year, Fox was a standout at outside back throughout the year and played all but eight minutes for the USWNT during her World Cup debut in Australia/New Zealand. She finished the year second in minutes played and netted her first international goal, against the Republic of Ireland in April. Traded to the North Carolina Courage before the 2023 season, she helped her club win the NWSL Challenge Cup and finish third in the regular season standings.
Four Tar Heels have combined for 11 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year honors: April Heinrichs (1986, 1989), Kristine Lilly (1993, 2005, 2006), Mia Hamm (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) and Tobin Heath (2016).
Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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