Defender Abby Allen is coming home to Austin for her senior season.

In a backyard just 30 minutes outside of Austin, the three Allen sisters brought out each other’s competitive spirits by fighting to be the first to gain possession of the soccer ball. 

Several years later, all three of the sisters gained the opportunity to play soccer on a collegiate level. 

The oldest Allen sister, Carlee, was a midfielder for Texas for five years, playing her final season in 2022. The youngest Allen sister, Mallory, is a freshman midfielder playing at Colorado. Now middle child Abby is transferring to Texas after spending three years at UNC, taking over where Carlee left off. 

“It’s kind of a surreal moment because … I didn’t think that we would all end up at Division I Power Five schools,” Abby said. 

Allen’s parents, Chad and Michele, played collegiate basketball at SMU. Hoping to eventually lead their children down the same athletic path, Chad and Michele placed each of the girls in soccer to start building their athleticism. 

“(They could) learn about teamwork, everybody can run around and kick the ball, coordination,” Chad told the Austin-American Statesman. “But it just kind of stuck.”

One of Abby Allen’s strengths as a player is her versatility. Wes Schevers, the girls director of coaching for Lonestar Soccer Club, told the Statesman that he thought Allen could play any field position. She expressed similar sentiments. 

“I would tell (head soccer coach Angela Kelly) I’m a defender, but I can play any position wherever the team needs me,” Allen said. 

Before college, Allen played center back and central midfielder for Lonestar SC and various U.S. Soccer youth national teams from the Under-14 to Under-20 levels. At UNC, Allen played center back. 

During her freshman and sophomore years at UNC, Allen played 1,556 and 1,593 minutes respectively, the most total minutes on the team each season. But the defender played significantly less her junior year, spending 307 minutes on the pitch in the 2022 season.

Although Allen didn’t play as many minutes in her third season, she found ways to make her minutes count. After several injuries on the team leading up to UNC’s game against Wake Forest last season, Abby Allen was put in at center back. 

“The amazing thing about this program is you have to always be ready to go in,” UNC senior defender Tori Hansen said to The Daily Tar Heel. “Where Abby had not been playing, now she’s in the mix, and she’s gonna play in that game.”

Through club soccer, Allen knew several players on the Texas soccer team. Allen, fellow transfer and goalkeeper Mia Justus, current Texas midfielder Lexi Missimo and current Texas forward Trinity Byars played together on the U-18 Women’s National Team in two matches against England. Allen and Justus were also both invited to the 2019 U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team training camp to play in two friendly matches against Japan. 

“The first few weeks were obviously a little different, but (the returning players) helped us every step of the way,” Allen said. “If we had any questions at all, they were right there to answer them.”

With another year of eligibility, Allen plans to play for two more seasons, then play professional soccer in the U.S. or overseas. 

“Last season, we got close (to winning a national championship) with my previous school, but I think I can bring some of those experiences and some of that knowledge with me here,” Allen said. “And I think how everything’s looking right now, we could really have a chance.”