Ally Sentnor has been dealing with high expectations almost since she first started kicking a soccer ball around Hanson.
She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager. She was a highly sought-after college recruit who landed at powerhouse North Carolina. And she was the first overall pick in the 2024 National Women's Soccer League draft. (She also was the final No. 1 overall pick as the league has scrapped the draft format altogether.)
People have been expecting big things from Sentnor for a while, and the Thayer Academy product keeps delivering.
"I have to keep having fun with it," Sentnor said recently from Utah, where she was gearing up for her second pro season with the Royals. "There are going to be people who don't like your style of play; you're never going to be liked by every single person. So you can't really worry about that. If I'm having fun and I'm enjoying it, that's all that matters. I'm my hardest critic."
Truth be told, there aren't a lot of Sentnor critics these days. The latest example of her living up to the "Next Big Thing" label came in January, when she was named U.S. Soccer's Young Female Player of the Year for 2024. The previous list of winners is a who's-who of USA greats, including fellow Hanson product Kristie Mewis (2008), Tobin Heath (2009), Sydney Leroux (2011), Lindsey Horan (2013), Naomi Girma (2020) and Trinity Rodman (2021).
"It's one of those pinch-me moments," Sentnor said. "Oh, my gosh, I'm surrounded by all of these people who have won this before me. I can hopefully do what they've done in their careers. It gives me the confidence that I can continue to achieve things in this sport and continue to inspire the next generation."
Unlike some of the bigger names on the POY list, Sentnor is just getting started with her senior U.S. Women's National Team career. After coming off the bench for a pair of friendlies in November and December, she got an extended run at the three-game SheBelieves Cup in February. She scored twice in the tournament, including an absolute screamer from outside the 18-yard box in a 2-0 win against Colombia.
🇺🇸 The USWNT beat Colombia 2-0 tonight in the SheBelieves Cup.
— GOLZ TV (@golz_tv) February 21, 2025
Check out this beautiful goal from Ally Sentnor, who just turned 21 two days ago. 👏🏾
This is Sentnor’s third game for the USWNT. She recently won U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
pic.twitter.com/7DZPKNJL5w
"It was a great game — super intense, a great opponent," Sentnor said. "It was a tight game, we were only winning 1-0, and just to get the ball in open space in the middle of the field is something that I really love. I just turned ...
