Washington, D.C., March 23, 2025 – Brooklyn Football Club (9-5-6) fought to a 1-1 draw on the road against DC Power FC (3-6-9) at Audi Field. Rookie Midfielder Grace Phillpotts earned her first career start and helped create Brooklyn’s opening goal, while Midfielder Salma Amani made her first start for the club.
Brooklyn’s Full Back Mackenzie George started the pressure early in the 5th minute, delivering a sharp cross from the byline. After a scramble in the box, Amani fired a close-range shot over the bar.
In the 18th minute, George received a through-ball from Center Back Allison Pantuso, and forced a corner kick from DC Power FC. However, Amani’s delivery from the set-piece was gathered by DC’s goalkeeper.
Brooklyn’s attack paid off in the 22nd minute. A fluid sequence started from Goalkeeper Sydney Martinez, who quickly distributed the ball to George on the left. George drove forward and combined with Amani, who swiftly redirected the ball to Phillpotts on the left wing. Phillpotts’ cross deflected off the goalkeeper, falling perfectly for George to finish clinically and score her fourth goal of the season.
“It was truly a surreal experience. I was so grateful for the opportunity to start and make an impact,” said Phillpotts. “I’m glad Mackenzie [George] was there to put it in the back of the net. Also so much credit to Mackenzie for making the play from the beginning to the end.”
“This goal came as a bit of a relief for the team, but I believe that it wasn’t in anyone’s mind that we weren’t going to be able to score because we hadn’t in the last 4 games,” said George. “I think with sports, there are ups and downs, and we talked a lot about erasing the past from our heads and playing each game with a fresh mindset. I think we did that well and we were able to get a goal and some other great opportunities that we will continue to build off of.”
After Brooklyn’s defender Sasha Pickard received the game’s first yellow card in the 29th minute, DC Power FC responded with a series of attacks between the 33rd and 36th minutes, forcing Sydney Martinez to make two saves, including a diving stop to deny a strike from DC Power’s Midfielder Anna Bagley.
Martinez injured herself late in the first half but played through until halftime. At the start of the second half, she was replaced by Neeku Purcell.
Brooklyn’s Head Coach, Jessica Silva, made adjustments in the 68th minute, substituting Grace Phillpotts with Samantha Rosette. Moments later, Midfielder Jessica Garziano’s through-ball set up Forward Luana Grabias one-on-one with the keeper, but the attempt was smothered.
DC Power FC found their equalizer in the 83rd minute when Center Back Claire Constant launched a 60-yard pass to Forward Gianna Gourley, who lofted over Purcell to level the score at 1-1.
The score remained locked at 1-1 when the final whistle blew.
“The team played well. We were dangerous in the final third and had multiple opportunities. We were very rarely in danger,” said Coach Silva. “Unfortunately, we conceded a late goal on inattention, and it cost us the points. Football is special like that; it takes a full 95-minute performance to give yourself a chance at gaining the points.”
Brooklyn FC will look to build on this result when they return home to face Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday, March 29th, at 6:00 PM ET. All matches are available live on Peacock. Multiple home match ticketing options, including multi-game and single-game, are available. For more information, visit www.brooklynfootballclub.com and follow Brooklyn FC’s official social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X.