Grace Debra Phillpotts (born October 1, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Sporting JAX in the USL Super League. She played collegiate soccer at DePaul University and the University of Kentucky.
Early life and youth career Phillpotts attended Powers Catholic High School, where she was a standout soccer player, earning multiple accolades. She played club soccer for the Michigan Hawks, a prestigious team competing in the ECNL, the top youth soccer competition in the United States.
In 2017, Phillpotts was invited to the ECNL/id2 National Training Camp, a showcase for the country’s top female youth players. She also helped lead the Michigan Hawks to a third-place finish at the ECNL National Playoffs that year.
College career DePaul Blue Demons Phillpotts began her collegiate career playing for the DePaul Blue Demons in Chicago. As a freshman in 2020, she started seven matches and earned a place on the Big East All-Freshman Team. Philpotts started all 18 matches in her sophomore year and made 12 starts as a junior.
During her tenure with the Blue Demons, Phillpotts recorded four assists. In September 2021, she was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week.
Kentucky Wildcats Phillpotts transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats in 2023. She started all 19 matches she played that season, providing four assists and helping Kentucky achieve a 9–4–6 record.
She earned Second Team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors and selection to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Third Team All-Southeast Region. In her senior year, Phillpotts started all 21 matches, logging a career-high 1,799 minutes, and scoring her first collegiate goal. She matched her career-best with four assists, totaling six points for the season. Her senior season accolades included First Team All-SEC and USC Southeast Region First Team honors.
Club career Detroit City FC In May 2020, Philpotts was named to first-ever women's side for Detroit City, competing in United Women's Soccer. Philipotts returned to Detroit City in 2021, earning Second-Team All-Conference honors, and then again in 2022 when she appeared in three matches.
Brooklyn FC In January 2025, shortly after completing her collegiate eligibility, Phillpotts signed her first professional contract with Brooklyn FC, one of the founding teams of the USL Super League.
Phillpotts joined Brooklyn FC midway through the 2024–25 season. In total, she appeared in seven matches for Brooklyn FC, starting five and recording one goal with one assist in her professional debut.
Sporting JAX On July 1, 2025, Sporting JAX, an expansion club in the USL Super League, announced they had signed Phillpotts to their inaugural roster.
She was named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for her contributions made during April 2026.
Career statistics College Season Games Scoring GP GS G A PTS SH SOG DePaul Blue Demons 2020 6 6 0 1 1 3 2 2021 18 18 0 4 4 11 7 2022 16 12 0 4 4 6 4 Kentucky Wildcats 2023 19 19 0 4 4 20 6 2024 21 21 1 4 6 20 4 Career Career total 80 76 1 17 19 60 23
Professional
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupPlayoffsTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBrooklyn FC2024–25 USLS 7 1 — — 7 1Sporting JAX2025–26 27 0 — 1 0 28 020263 0 —— 3 0Career total37 1 — 1 0 38 1
Honors and awards USL Super League Team of the Month: April 2026 USC Southeast Region First Team: 2024 First Team All-SEC: 2024 Second Team All-SEC: 2023 USC Third Team All-Southeast Region: 2023 Big East Defensive Player of the Week: September 2021 Big East All-Freshman Team: 2020
References