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BALTIMORE, Md. - Former USF goalkeeper Madalyn Schiffel took one step closer to realizing her professional aspirations after she was selected by the Washington Spirit in the fourth round of the 2016 National Women's Soccer League College Draft with the 34th overall pick on Friday morning.
"It's always been a dream of mine to be a professional soccer player and by no means does being drafted mean I have achieved that, but it gives me a confidence boost and an affirmation that this is something I can and will accomplish," said Schiffel. "Having the Washington Spirit be the club that drafted me, I could not be more thrilled."
Schiffel, a senior from Roseville, Calif., capped off a stellar career on the Hilltop in 2015 by earning first team all-west region and first team All-WCC honors while also establishing herself among the best keepers in USF history. In 2015, she started all 20 games in goal, posting a career-best 0.72 goals against average - just shy of the program record of 0.69 - with 83 saves and nine shutouts.
Schiffel holds USF career records in wins (29), shutouts (23) and minutes played in goal (6,514). This past season she established new single season bests in wins (13), shutouts (9) and minutes (1,865) while helping the Dons set a new program record of 13 overall victories en route to a program-best conference finish after the Dons tied with Loyola Marymount for second place.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for Maddy," said fourth-year head coach Jim Millinder. "It's been her dream her whole life to be a professional soccer player. I think she goes into a situation where she can compete right away. Maddy will have a long career, I think, as a professional keeper because she's that driven. I think seeing her get drafted will be great motivation for all of our other players too."
The last USF player to be drafted was current Dons assistant coach Fiona O'Sullivan, who was selected in the sixth round by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2010 Women's Pro Soccer draft.
The NWSL consists of 10 clubs, with the season running from April to October. The Washington Spirit, who were one of the eight founding clubs when the NWSL began in 2013, finished in fourth place last season with an 8-6-6 record and advanced as far as the semifinals in the NWSL playoffs. The Spirit play their home games at Maureen Hendrick's Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex Stadium in Boyds, Maryland.
Now Schiffel will have the chance to match up against some of the players she has spent years watching.
"Ashlyn Harris was on the team up until a couple months ago and I would consistently watch their games and be impressed by the level and how far they made it in the playoffs last season," commented Schiffel. "They have a huge upside as a club. It's going to be amazing to get a chance to play with some of the best in our country and it is an honor be picked up in this draft. It is only the beginning of this next chapter of my soccer career and I look forward to continuing the hard work and achieving my goals."
