Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Janel Schillig arrived on campus in the Fall of 1998 and ushered in a golden era of Villanova goalkeeping which would last for the better part of 15 years. As a sophomore in 1999 she became the Wildcats first women’s soccer player to earn a BIG EAST major postseason award when she was voted the Goalkeeper of the Year. She played for the Wildcats from 1998-01 and was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2019.
 
At the time of her graduation Schillig held 10 school records, including seven career marks and three single season standards. More than 20 years after her career ended, she remained the program’s career leader with 530 saves. Schillig started 72 of the 76 career games she played in and graduated with totals of 6,684:21 minutes played, 39 victories, 22 shutouts and an .859 save percentage. All were school records and she was second in the Villanova record book with a 1.17 goals-against average.
 
Schillig’s sophomore campaign was a special one as the Wildcats won a then-school record 14 games and were ECAC Tournament champions. Along the way to being the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and a first team all-conference selection, Schillig set single season Villanova records with 14 victories and eight shutouts. Two of those shutouts came in the ECAC Tournament when the Wildcats defeated Cornell (2-0) and St. John’s (1-0) to win their second-ever postseason tournament title and first since the 1987 ECAC Tournament. Schillig totaled 19 saves without allowing a goal in the tournament.
 
Schillig had a career high 181 saves in 1999 while allowing 28 goals to post a 1.29 goals-against average and an .866 save percentage. Her performance followed on the heels of her rookie year in 1998 when she was selected to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. She started 16 of 18 games played that season and had an .851 save percentage while making 165 total stops. After posting a 9-8 record in goal as a junior in 2000, Schillig produced another monster campaign as a senior in 2001.
 
She earned third team Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors and second team All-BIG EAST accolades in 2001. Her 0.71 goals-against average in 1654:31 minutes played was a single season school record and helped lead Villanova to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Wildcats were 13-6-3 in 2001 and traveled to Penn State as an at-large NCAA selection. Villanova defeated Penn, 2-0, on November 16, 2001 in the first women’s soccer NCAA Tournament contest in program history. Two days later the Wildcats fell to the host Nittany Lions to be eliminated. In the two NCAA games, Schillig made 11 saves while posting a .786 save percentage on 14 shots on goal.
 
Villanova qualified for the postseason BIG EAST Championship in three of Schillig’s four years. In three conference tournament games she totaled 32 saves and an .800 save percentage in 298:37 in the net. In all the Wildcats compiled a record of 47-31-5 (.596) during Schillig’s career.
 
Schillig was an equally successful student-athlete in her academic pursuits as compared to her exploits on the field. She was a three-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and was named the BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2001.