It was a conversation Phallon Tullis-Joyce wasn’t expecting to have.

With graduation approaching, the former Hurricanes goalkeeper went in to meet with one of the academic advisors she’d been working with after receiving the University’s Hammond Scholarship, one of the premier scholarships awarded to UM students.

For years, the two had been planning for Tullis-Joyce’s future beyond Miami, a future she always figured would lead her to work in the field of marine biology, the field she’d happily studied during her time in Coral Gables.

But now, a different path had presented itself and Tullis-Joyce wanted to pursue it.

“I told him I wanted to play soccer professionally and he was like – ‘Whoa, we never talked about this. What do you mean? Aren’t you going to go into marine biology? Aren’t you going to go into marine ecology? Something along that field?’” Tullis-Joyce recalled with a laugh. “And I said, ‘No, I think I want to keep playing soccer as long as I can and see if I can make it.’”

Seven years later, it’s safe to say Tullis-Joyce has more than made it.

She’s thriving with some of the beautiful game’s biggest clubs.

In April, Tullis-Joyce earned her first cap – and shutout – as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team when the Americans hosted Brazil in a friendly at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

In that match – a 2-0 win for the U.S. – Tullis-Joyce made six saves and became just the 10^th goalkeeper in USWNT history to record a shutout in her national team debut.

And earlier this month, Tullis-Joyce led Manchester United to the FA Cup final and earned a share of the Women’s Super League Golden Glove after totaling 13 clean sheets in 22 matches.

Getting her first start in the red, white, and blue and competing with Manchester United are both incredible opportunities – opportunities Tullis-Joyce has worked for years to earn.

The Shoreham, New York native was invited to her first USWNT camp in November. That came after she joined Manchester United in 2023.

And after she spent two seasons with the OL Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League.

And after she upended her life to make her professional debut with the Division Two French club Stade de Reims in 2019.

Moving across the ocean to a country where she didn’t know the language, didn’t know the customs, and didn’t know what to expect just months after graduating from Miami was a leap of faith, no doubt.

But it was one Tullis-Joyce felt she needed to make to pursue her dream of playing professionally. Besides, she joked, as nervous as she may have been about moving to Europe, she eventually mastered French and figured out how to navigate French grocery stores and markets.

“I had a lot of shots against me at Miami, so I did have quite a highlight reel, and I got lucky enough to have an agent find me a trial in France in Division Two for Stade de Reims,” Tullis-Joyce said. “They told me to bring two suitcases because it’s a two-week trial and you could be going right back home after those two weeks if they don’t like you. Luckily enough, they did like me after that first training session, so I stayed there, spent six months in Division Two, and then another two years in Division One.

“It was my first taste of the professional world of soccer, and it was actually incredible to be on the same field as some of the players I recognized from some previous World Cups for the French national team. I was googly-eyed over them and then I got even luckier when [a team] then-called OL Reign reached out to me and said they wanted to sign me.”

After returning to the States and serving as a reserve keeper during her first season with OL Reign, Tullis-Joyce started all 30 of the club’s matches during the 2022 season.

The Reign – today known as the Seattle Reign – posted an 11-4-7 record that year, good enough to win the NWSL Shield.

But returning to the U.S. did more than spark Tullis-Joyce’s career.

It reignited her passion for scuba diving, a passion she discovered while at Miami.

When she wasn’t training or at practice, Tullis-Joyce could be found in the water, be it in the ocean off the coast of Seattle or at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, where she volunteered as a diver and educator.

She began producing educational social media videos and vignettes she dubbed “Phishy Phinds” and “Phishy Phridays” and before long, Reign fans – and her teammates –caught on to her passion for all things aquatic.

Soon enough, Tullis-Joyce noticed those fans holding signs and wearing t-shirts declaring themselves part of her “Octopus Army” during matches.

It was humbling – and still makes her smile.

“Those fans were incredible, and I have to give major appreciation to them,” Tullis-Joyce said. “They got right on board with the Phishy Phinds videos that I was posting, just trying to provide a little bit of free education of what I learned at the University of Miami from some amazing professors. They got right on board, with the t-shirts saying, ‘Octopus Army.’ I was welcomed there and that was probably the biggest thing for me, how great the fans were and how receptive they were. … It’s where I was really able to merge two passions of mine.”

While with the Reign, Tullis-Joyce totaled 135 saves and 15 clean sheets in 47 appearances. She was twice selected for the NWSL Best XI of the Month and was a finalist for 2022 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year.

Her success, of course, did not go unnoticed.

In September 2023, Tullis-Joyce signed with Manchester United, with the club reportedly paying a transfer fee close to $160,000 to acquire her – a record amount for a goalkeeper.

It was a surreal moment, though Tullis-Joyce didn’t have much time to take it all in.

“It was honestly shocking, and I think it didn’t hit me until I was actually on the plane. It was a wild circumstance,” Tullis-Joyce said. “In order for me to make it over to Manchester United in time for that transfer window, I had to hop on a flight the same day as agreeing to go to Manchester United. So, within four hours, I was on a flight and out of Washington. I didn’t have much time to process what was happening until I actually landed in Manchester and had to do my clearance physicals. It was very wild, very shocking, but it definitely paid off to make yet another massive, challenging leap.”

She made her United debut two months later, notching a clean sheet in a 7-0 win over Everton and since, has thrived with her new club.

This season, Tullis-Joyce led the WSL with a 79.5 save percentage, was named to the Barclays WSL Team of the Season, was honored as the Players’ Player of the Year, and signed a three-year extension that will keep her with Manchester United through the 2028 season.

She’s also bonded with her teammates, is embracing living and playing in Britain, and says the weight of wearing the Manchester United badge has helped prepare her for the responsibility of representing her country.

And of course, she’s found ways to stay close to the water, learning her way around ponds, rivers and streams when she can’t get to the ocean.

“Any time I have off, I’ll go to Anglesey, which is in Wales, or I’ll go down to Southern England and I’ll hop in the ocean there,” Tullis-Joyce said. “They actually have cuttlefish in Southern England, which I love seeing. And there’s plenty of sea slugs here, so there’s a lot to see off the UK coast. I’m not doing too bad.”

She continues chronicling her aquatic adventures on social media, continues growing in the game and hopes to continue building on her incredibly successful career – one she credits Miami with helping her achieve.

“Being at Miami, that was the first time where I could see both of my biggest passions in life merging, and I think it really set the tone for who I wanted to be. It paved the first footsteps of who I was and figuring myself out,” Tullis-Joyce said. “It was just an environment where I could grow exponentially and led me to this perfect opportunity to play professionally in France, then on to the Reign and then onto Manchester United.

“I still think back on my Miami days so fondly. All the study abroad [programs] I did … How many people get those opportunities? And it was all through the University of Miami. The quality of education I gained through my courses and from professors I still talk to this day. It really was an amazing experience, and I just love talking about it. I’m very proud to be a Miami Hurricane.”