Allyson Marie Sentnor (born February 18, 2004) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

or forward for the Utah Royals of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL) and the United States national team. Sentnor played two seasons of

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

before being picked first overall by the Royals in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She played for the youth national team at every age level,

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

ing the under-20 team to bronze at the

2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup () was the 11th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth association football, football championship contested by the under-20 women's national teams of the member as ...

, after which she was named U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

Early life and college career

Raised in

Hanson, Massachusetts Hanson is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Part of Greater Boston, Hanson is located 20 miles (32 km) south of Boston and is one of the inland towns of the South Shore. The population was 10,639 at the 2020 census ...

, Sentnor began playing soccer at age four and was coached by her father on her first team. She scored so often as a kid that he would put her in goal or let her score only with her non-dominant left foot, which helped her develop equal comfort off both sides. She joined Hingham club South Shore Select at age six and later trained sometimes with the Boston Bolts boys' team. She also played the indoor soccer variant of

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

, which helped develop her touch in limited space. She attended

Thayer Academy Thayer Academy (TA) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory day school located in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. The academy, conceived in 1871 at the bequest of General Sylvanus Thayer, known as the father of the United St ...

, joining the varsity soccer team in eighth grade, and reclassified to graduate one year early. In 2019,

Megan Rapinoe Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. She spent most of her career playing for Seattle Reign FC, OL Reign of the National Wom ...

presented 15-year-old Sentnor with the ''Sports Illustrated'' SportsKid of the Year award.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Sentnor tore her ACL minutes into her first preseason game for the

in 2021. She got back onto the college field in 2022, scoring on her regular-season debut against Wilmington. In her redshirt freshman season, she ranked second on the team with 10 goals and added 2 assists in 25 games as North Carolina won the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

regular-season title. Five of her goals came during the NCAA tournament as North Carolina reached the national title game, where they lost to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

3–2 in overtime. She was named to the All-ACC first team and NCAA all-tournament team. Sentnor scored a team-high 11 goals with 7 assists in 23 games in the 2023 season. She recorded goal contributions in each of her last seven games, including four goals and three assists in four games of the NCAA tournament. She was involved in all three goals in their 4–3 quarterfinal loss to BYU. She was named the ACC Midfielder of the Year, first-team All-ACC, and third-team

United Soccer Coaches The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

All-American. She chose to turn professional after the season but continued studying online to complete her degree in 2024.

Club career

Utah Royals

Sentnor was selected first overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft by the Utah Royals, who were returning to the NWSL after a four-year absence; she and North Carolina teammate Savy King were the top two picks. She was signed to a three-year contract. She debuted in the starting lineup on the opening matchday against the

Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...

on March 16. She scored her first professional goal on March 22, shooting from the corner of the penalty box off a long dribble, as the Royals won 2–1 at home against the

North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...

. She was deployed as a winger at the start of the season, scoring or assisting on five of Utah's first seven goals, before moving to a more playmaking role as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

at the end of June. Sentnor won both

NWSL Rookie of the Month The National Women's Soccer League Rookie of the Month is a monthly women's association football, women's soccer award given to individual players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) participating in their first season as a professional. ...

and Player of the Month in July after notching three goals and an assist in four games and leading the bottom-of-the-league Royals to top their group in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. She finished her rookie season with 5 goals and 5 assists in 23 games in all competitions. She was named the Utah Royals's Offensive Player of the Year and was one of three nominees for NWSL Rookie of the Year, losing to

Croix Bethune Croix Collette Bethune ( ; born March 14, 2001) is an American professional association football, soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States wom ...

. On April 18, 2025, Sentnor scored the second-latest game-winning goal in NWSL history, with her 90+10th-minute

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

securing a 1–0 win against the Chicago Stars.

International career

Youth national team

Sentnor was selected to the train with the United States under-14 team at the age of 12 in June 2016, the youngest player called into the camp. At age 13, she scored five goals in two friendlies for the under-15s in Germany in November 2017. She also played for the under-16s that year and was under consideration for the roster for the

2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the sixth edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its i ...

, but ultimately not selected to join players three years above her age group. She was the most valuable player of the invitational Weifang Cup at the under-15 level in China in 2018. She was the under-17 team's leading goalscorer in 2019, also scoring two goals in two games for the under-18s against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at the start of the year. In 2020, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, her age group's CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship and

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is an annual (biennial until 2024) international women's association football tournament for female players under the age of 17. It is organized by ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA) ...

were canceled. Following her ACL recovery, Sentnor made her under-20 debut at the 2022 Sud Ladies Cup, which the United States won. She was one of the younger players selected to the roster at the

2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup () was the 10th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its ...

. She appeared in all three group stage games and scored in their opening 3–0 win against

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. The next year, she co-captained the under-20s with

Elise Evans Elise Aminta Evans (born December 16, 2004) is an American college soccer player who plays as a center back for the Stanford Cardinal. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Early life and college career ...

at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. She scored four goals during the tournament, helping the United States finish runners-up to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and qualify for the

. Wearing the captain's armband, Sentnor led the United States to third place at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the country's best result since

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, scoring three goals in seven games. In the first knockout round, she scored the second goal in a 3–2 overtime win against Mexico. In the quarterfinals, trailing

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

2–0, the United States came back in the last moments of regulation with a goal from Jordynn Dudley and an own goal forced by Sentnor in the 90+8th and 90+9th minutes; in a penalty shootout, Sentnor converted her opening kick as the United States advanced. After falling to eventual champions

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

in the semifinals, Sentnor opened scoring in the third-place match, a 2–1 victory over the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. She was awarded the Bronze Ball as the third-most outstanding player of the tournament. Following her senior debut later that year, she was named U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year for 2024.

Senior national team

Head coach

Emma Hayes Emma Carol Hayes (born 18 October 1976) is an English professional football manager who is the head coach of the United States women's national team. She was previously manager of Chelsea Women from 2012 to 2024, winning seven Women's Super ...

gave Sentnor her first senior national team call-up on November 18, 2024, ahead of international friendlies against

and the

. She made her senior debut against England at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on November 30, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Lindsey Horan in the 0–0 draw. On February 20, 2025, she made her first senior international start and scored her first goal for the team, striking from long range to go up 2–0 against

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

in the

2025 SheBelieves Cup The 2025 SheBelieves Cup, named the 2025 SheBelieves Cup Presented by Visa for sponsorship reasons, was the tenth edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational Women's association football, women's soccer tournament held in the United States. Fe ...

. With two goals and an assist, she was the sixth player to record goal contributions in all three games at one SheBelieves Cup.

Personal life

Sentnor is the oldest of three children born to Richard and Lee Sentnor. She shares her hometown of

(population 10,000), with United States internationals Sam and Kristie Mewis, with whom she trained a few times growing up.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sentnor goal.''

Awards and honors

United States U20 *

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament, organized by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), for national teams of women under the age of 20. The tournament is held biennially. ...

bronze medal:

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

* Sud Ladies Cup:

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Individual * U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year: 2024 *

Bronze Ball:

: July 2024 * NWSL Player of the Month: July 2024 * NWSL Team of the Month: July 2024 *First-team All- ACC: 2022, 2023 *Third-team All-American: 2023 * ACC Midfielder of the Year: 2023 * NCAA tournament all-tournament team:

* ''Sports Illustrated'' SportsKid of the Year: 2019

References

;Match reports

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sentnor, Ally Living people 2004 births People from Hanson, Massachusetts Soccer players from Massachusetts American women's soccer players Women's association football forwards Women's association football midfielders United States women's youth international soccer players United States women's under-20 international soccer players North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players First overall NWSL draft picks Utah Royals FC draft picks Utah Royals players National Women's Soccer League players 21st-century American sportswomen United States women's international soccer players