While Team USA hockey fell to Canada on Thursday night, another red, white and blue team beat Colombia, and a young Utah soccer star was at the center of the win.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team opened its SheBelieves Cup play against Colombia with a 2-0 win on Thursday.
In the match, Utah Royals star Ally Sentnor made her first start for the senior national team, and she made the most of the opportunity.
Sentnor, who just turned 21 on Tuesday, made her presence known early, giving the match broadcasters plenty of reasons to call her name in just her third appearance with the team.
National team legend Julie Foudy, who was on the call, had high praise for Sentnor.
“This is a kid that’s on the rise,” Foudy said during the broadcast.
But Sentnor’s biggest moment came in the 60th minute when she scored a banger from outside the box, putting the U.S. up 2-0.
It’s something Utah Royals fans know is a strong suit of the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s — and the last ever — NWSL draft.
She became the first U.S. player to score her first senior national team goal in the SheBelieves Cup, per U.S. Soccer.
Sentnor almost added another goal in the 75th minute before she was subbed out a minute later.
She finished the night with four shots, the most on the team.
Sentnor was named the Woman of the Match, earning 48.8% of the votes ahead of Lindsey Heaps and Catarina Macario, who scored the U.S. team‘s first goal.
What Emma Hayes said about Ally Sentnor’s first USWNT start and goal
Sentnor got her first senior national team call up last November, but has played for the national team at the youth levels, including most recently as the U.S. captain for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
She scored three times during that tournament as the U.S. finished third — its best finish in 12 years, according to U.S. Soccer.
Her efforts led to her being named the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year last month.
National team head coach Emma Hayes was asked about Sentnor’s goal and performance Thursday in her post-game press conference.
“Ally has come through the youth ranks demonstrating the qualities you need to be at this level,” Hayes said.
Hayes added that she recently told Sentnor that her “super strength is when you get on the half turn in those areas.”
“I knew the minute she turns where that ball was going to end up because she does that shot consistently well. That is, that is something she absolutely has in her locker, but I appreciate her. Worked great tonight. I thought she was tenacious (on) both sides of the wall. For a young player, of course, you still got a lot to learn, but I thought it was a very strong performance,” Hayes said.
How social media reacted to Ally Sentnor’s first USWNT goal
Sentnor’s first goal for the national team was the talk of the soccer world Thursday.
Here are some of the best reactions on social media, including from some high profile members of the professional soccer community.