A few weeks ago, while cleaning out her childhood bedroom, former Northwestern women’s soccer player Emma Phillips found a handwritten note, signed by her 12-year-old self.
“Never give up on soccer,” it read, written in green marker and underlined in red for emphasis. “If you ever get the chance to play professionally … take it.”
Now, more than a decade after writing down her dream on the flip side of an index card, Phillips is seizing her opportunity.
The long-time Wildcats’ center back is set to embark on a journey to Grindavík, Iceland, where she’ll play for the professional women’s soccer team there.
“I’m definitely nervous, but I’m mostly excited,” Phillips said. “I’ve always been in the Midwest, and I’m just really excited to see something else.”
After four years at NU, where she logged 13 goals, four assists, 71 starts and over 6,200 minutes played, Phillips is kicking off her professional career mere miles from an active volcano.
Hailing from Munster, Indiana, Phillips joined NU in 2021 after winning three ECNL conference championships with her club team, Eclipse Select.
She made an immediate impact in her first year on campus, starting in 14 games and leading all freshmen in minutes played.
But her sophomore campaign in 2022 was the pinnacle of her time in purple and white. The ’Cats completed a remarkable 16-5-2 season, punctuated by a trip to the NCAA Round of 16.
Knotted up at 1-1 with 20 minutes left against Kansas State in 2022’s season opener, midfielder Lily Gilbertson (Weinberg ’23, Kellogg ’24) crossed a ball into the box. Phillips, streaking toward the net, twisted and connected on a bicycle kick that found the goal to secure victory for NU.
But the capstone moment of Phillips’ 2022 campaign was a herculean 1-0 upset of then-No. 6 Stanford. Like usual, she went the full 90, joining the dogpile of teammates as the ’Cats put together a signature win.
And she had a gut feeling ahead of the game that NU would emerge victorious.
“I was sitting on the (North Campus) parking garage roof with my teammate Meg (Boade) the night before the game, and we were just hyping each other up,” Phillips said. “And we were like, ‘I think we can do this.’ And then we did it.”
Phillips earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors for her 2022 season, in which she started 20 of 21 games and played 1,719 minutes.
Though the 2023 season didn’t yield the outcome the ’Cats hoped, Phillips shined on set pieces, clocking seven goals while starting all 18 games on the back line. She earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors and led the squad in minutes played.
Always wearing a vibrant teal headband—first worn in honor of US Women’s National Team star Julie Ertz —Phillips was on the field for every second of NU’s season.
“Coming into college was hard, and it was scary. It was hard putting myself out there, but I definitely got lucky with the group I was with — definitely lifelong friends,” Phillips said. “I think meeting (my teammates at NU) helped me realize that it’s like the same situation where I can meet awesome people over there. And even if I don’t, it’s okay. I have great friends here too.”
She added that her experience at NU “taught (her) so much about starting something new.”
She was named Third Team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year after the 2024 season concluded, becoming the first ’Cat to earn three All-Big Ten nominations since current National Women’s Soccer League defender Kayla Sharples (Communication ’19) and NWSL midfielder Marisa DiGrande, formerly Viggiano (Communication ’19), who both played for NU from 2015 to 2018.
Phillips graduated in December in anticipation of entering her name in the NWSL Draft. However, since the NWSL abolished its draft in August 2024, she had to seek a new path to the pros.
“I had some other options to go on trials and try out with teams in the U.S., but my agent and I thought it would be better to make sure I’m on a team so I can be compensated and also get experience,” Phillips said. “It was a hard decision to make, but I think I made the right one, and I’m excited I’m going to get some experience for these first few months.”
Phillips told The Daily her goal following her Icelandic experience is to play for a team in the USL Super League, a professional league that operates alongside the NWSL. Her dream, she said, is to play for Chicago Stars FC and hopefully, the USWNT.
As of right now, Phillips only knows about her living situation –– she has an apartment –– and the team’s practice and game schedules. But, she said, she enjoys hiking, which is perfect for experiencing Iceland’s diverse landscape.
“I want to see the Northern Lights, of course, and then visit the Blue Lagoon,” Phillips said. “Those are my bucket list ones, so hopefully, I’ll have some time to see that.”
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