Back in May, Sports Illustrated named Ashley Sanchez its MVP of the Month for April. In her third year in North Carolina and sixth year in the NWSL, Sanchez is ascending to new heights in her career. The journey to this point has been rather successful, but Sanchez is now fully showcasing her talent capabilities in the attacking portion of the field for North Carolina.
Sanchez’s California Origins
Before entering the NWSL, Sanchez was from California through and through. Born in Pasadena, she would play for some notable California youth clubs, including the So Cal Blues. For school, she attended Mountain Park School and Monrovia High School, where she would really make a name for herself, including attending national team youth camps during the same time.
Her play as a youth earned Sanchez the opportunity to go play her collegiate soccer at UCLA. She would play three seasons for the Bruins, making it even more impressive that she broke the program’s career assist record. She put together one of the most productive resumes in UCLA soccer history, paving the way for an opportunity in the NWSL.
Adjusting to NWSL Life
Sanchez was drafted to the Washington Spirit in 2020, where she would debut in the NWSL Fall Series. After then, she would play another three full seasons in the DMV, notching 56 starts in 61 matches. The assists were her call to glory at UCLA, and after a down season in 2021 without a single assist, Sanchez got right back to it with a five-assist season in 2022. Her three years in Washington brought Sanchez an NWSL Championship, as well as the honor of being one of the main offensive catalysts for the Spirit.
In 2024, Sanchez was abruptly traded to North Carolina in a trade that involved the fifth overall pick in the draft. She wasted no time entering the fold with the Courage, however, playing a career-high 2,140 minutes in 2024, a season in which she would notch nine goal contributions. In 2024, she was amongst the top talents in the NWSL, but would statistically fall off slightly in 2025.
A Statement in 2026
Then fast-forward to this 2026 season, and Sanchez has been remarkable. While her assists and ability to create for others has always seemed to be her strong suit, 2026 has been a much different story. Now, Ashley Sanchez is scoring at an unbelievable rate, already setting a single-season career high in goals scored with eight (and counting), while having just around half the season.
Of course, this includes her dominant month of April in which she earned Sports Illustrated MVP of the Month, scoring in all three games for the Courage during a month that they went without a loss. Sanchez has continued playing great ball since then, playing in multiple different positions for North Carolina, while still energizing the offense. This includes a game against Chicago in which Sanchez had a goal and an assist in a 4-0 statement win.
While there is plenty of season left to be played, the North Carolina Courage are very much in the mix. Ashley Sanchez is a gigantic reason as to why this is the case, and it’s hard to see North Carolina not making serious noise if Sanchez stays in the form she has been in thus far.
Featured image via @ashley.sanchez
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