QBSN Athlete of the Week: Jillian Kelly

This week’s QBSN Athlete of the Week honors are awarded to Jillian Kelley (Simsbury, Conn.) of Quinnipiac University’s women’s soccer team.

Kelley, the junior goalkeeper, had perfect back-to-back games for the Bobcats in one of their most important weekends of the season. Kelley goal-tended two straight shutouts against Northeast Conference rivals Sacred Heart University and Farleigh Dickinson University. She recorded two saves in a 1-0 win over Sacred Heart, and followed that performance up with a six save outing against FDU.

(quinnipiacbobcats.com)

Kelley finishes off her impressive junior season with 6-6-3 record; recording 79 saves for a .806 save percentage. She only allowed 1.12 goals per game, while providing five shutouts on the year.

The two wins for the Bobcats clinched a Northeast Conference Tournament appearance. Quinnipiac needed both wins to get into the tournament, with Kelley and the Bobcats delivering. Quinnipiac finishes off the regular season on a hot streak, winning three of their last four games, with all three wins coming in their final three conference games.

The NEC Tournament berth marks Quinnipiac’s seventh tournament appearance in their brief Division I history. The Bobcats have a 3-5 overall record in the NEC Tournament; not having won a game since the 2000 season. That year, the Bobcats defeated Long Island University in the semi-finals 1-0, and then overcame Monmouth University in the championship game by a score of 4-0 to earn their first and only appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

(courtesy of Marc "Palatial" Schwartz)