Sentnor Wins 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player Of The Year

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Ally Sentnor, one of the top players in the United States Youth National Team program over the past few years who earned her first USWNT cap at the end of last year, has been voted the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

Sentnor, a forward/midfielder, becomes the ninth Tar Heel to win the prestigious honor since its inception in 1998.

Past UNC 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).

Including Sentnor, 23 of the 27 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year winners have earned caps with the full USWNT. Fifteen of them have gone on to play in a FIFA World Cup.

"The words that come to mind are grateful and humbled," Sentnor told U.S. Soccer. "To see the list of players who have won this before shows me the opportunities that are ahead. I know there is so much work to do for myself and my generation, but we've had amazing role models in the players from the past and the veteran players who are on the team now. I'm so excited about the next steps that (USWNT head coach) Emma (Hayes) is taking with the National Team and I'm going to work as hard as I can to try to earn more opportunities to be with this special group of players."

Sentnor finished 2024 by earning her first senior USWNT call-up after one of the most decorated women's youth national team careers in recent history, scoring at almost every youth level. She captained the U.S. squad which earned bronze at the U20 World Cup this fall, also taking home the Bronze Ball as the tournament's third-best player after scoring three goals.

She became the third Tar Heel to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NWSL Draft, going to Utah Royals FC.

A nominee for NWSL Rookie of the Year, she had three goals and four assists for Utah in 2024 while playing 1,866 minutes in 21 matches, all of them starts. She also played two games in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and scored in both, against Tijuana and the Portland Thorns. Sentnor was named the NWSL Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month in July 2024 and is only the second player to win both awards in the same month.

During her two complete seasons at Carolina, Sentnor totaled 21 goals, nine assists and 51 points in 48 career appearances. She was named ACC Midfielder of the Year, United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-America, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Atlantic Region and All-ACC First Team in 2023.

This was Sentnor's fourth and final nomination for U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. Players can only win one time.

Freshman Trinity Armstrong, who recently turned pro after helping UNC win the national championship, was also nominated for the award as the only collegian on the Young Female Player of the Year ballot.

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Players Mentioned

Trinity Armstrong

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