Three UNC women’s soccer players were chosen in the first round of the National Women’s Soccer League Draft on Friday evening – including Ally Sentnor No. 1 overall and Savy King No. 2 – and three others were chosen in the later rounds, giving the event a distinct Carolina blue hue.

The Utah Royals, in their first ever season in the NWSL, made Sentnor Carolina’s third No. 1 draft pick in program history, after Crystal Dunn in 2014 and Emily Fox in 2021. Sentnor missed her entire true freshman season in 2021 due to a knee injury, but came back in time for the 2022 campaign and dominated in 2023, leading the Tar Heels with 11 goals.

“Ally has been riding an aggressive player development rocket ship for the past two years,” said head coach Anson Dorrance. “Her improvement every year is one of the greatest of any player I have ever coached in my life.”

Defender Savy King didn’t have to wait long to hear her name called, as Bay FC selected her No. 2 overall in the draft. It’s the second time a pair of Tar Heels have gone No. 1 and No. 2 in the draft. Dunn and Kealia Ohai did so in 2014. King, a native of California, will return to her home state after starting all 23 matches for UNC at center back and logging a team-high 2,030 minutes during the season. She was named a member of the All-ACC second team and All-Freshman team.

“I couldn’t believe how good Savy was during her freshman season. We played a tough schedule, and she did not blink,” said Dorrance. “She checks every single box: athletic ability, competitive fire and work ethic.”

Another Carolina defender went No. 14 overall to defending league champions NJ/NY Gotham FC: Maycee Bell, who started 76 matches during her time in Chapel Hill. A consistent standout, Bell was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019, first team All-ACC in 2020, second team All-America in 2021 and second team All-ACC in 2023. The only season in which Bell didn’t earn numerous awards was 2022, when she suffered a knee injury in the season opener and missed the rest of the year.

“She can go to any level that she wants in this game,” Dorrance said of Bell. “If she commits herself, she could be one of the best center backs in the league within two to three years.”

Two other stars heard their names called in the second round: midfielder Sam Meza will join Seattle Reign FC as the No. 17 overall pick and forward Avery Patterson will join the Houston Dash as the No. 19 overall pick. Meza and Patterson each played four outstanding seasons in Chapel Hill, appearing in two NCAA College Cups. The pair combined for 143 starts as Tar Heels.

“Sam is the reason we all pay money to watch soccer,” said Dorrance of Meza. “Her creativity and skill set separate herself from other elite players.”

Of Patterson, he said, “She can score goals, create goals, head the ball, shoot with power and defend. She checks every box and is that rare player that is complete.”

In the third round, defender Julia Dorsey heard her name called at No. 40 overall by a team close to home: the NC Courage. Though Dorsey missed the 2023 season due to injury, she still started 58 matches in her four-year career and logged more than 5,200 minutes on the pitch. She scored the game-winning goal against Florida State in the 2022 national semifinals.

A two-sport athlete, Dorsey also played for the UNC women’s lacrosse team and won a national championship under head coach Jenny Levy in 2022. Dorsey is only the sixth athlete to ever have played both soccer and lacrosse at UNC.

“Julia is one of the hidden gems in this draft,” Dorrance said. “I have spoken to several coaches and I was dying for them to pick her.”

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

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