Ally Sentnor, a forward for the Utah Royals and an impressive talent on the youth national team, has been awarded the title of 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
At 20 years of age, Sentnor is currently participating in a training camp in Florida with the U.S. senior national team, which is a regular event in January. She made her first appearance for the senior team late last year during a scoreless match against England at the historic Wembley Stadium.
Sentnor brings a wealth of experience from her time with U.S. youth national teams, where she captained the squad that finished in third place at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup held in Colombia last year, contributing three goals to her team’s efforts in the tournament. Her overall record with the under-20 teams from 2022 to 2024 includes 20 appearances and 11 goals.
A native of Massachusetts, Sentnor was the first overall pick in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League draft, coming from the University of North Carolina. In the previous season, she participated in 21 matches with the Utah Royals, netting three goals and providing four assists.
Previous winners of this esteemed award comprise current national team stars such as Trinity Rodman (2021), Naomi Girma (2020), Sophia Smith (2017), and Mallory Swanson (2015). The inaugural young player award was given to U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone in 1998.
Reflecting on her achievement, Sentnor stated, “Looking at the list of past winners reminds me of the future possibilities ahead. I understand the amount of work I need to put in for myself and my generation, but we have been fortunate to have incredible role models from the past and the current veterans on the team.”
Sentnor garnered 55.8% of the votes for this accolade, which involved input from national team coaches and players, NWSL coaches, members of the U.S. Soccer board and athletes’ council, select media personnel, and fans.
The runner-up for the award was Claire Hutton, a midfielder for the Kansas City Current, who received 30.1% of the vote.
