COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - It didn't take Billy Cornett long to make his impact felt at the college level.

The freshman defender from Cretin-Derham Hall High School scored his first collegiate goal less than two minutes into the Saint John's soccer team's 2-0 season-opening shutout of St. Norbert (Wis.) on Sept. 1.

And he hasn't slowed down from there.

Through the Johnnies' first 15 games, Cornett leads the team in game-winning goals (3) and is tied for second in both goals (six) and points (15). 

He was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Week in late September after a stretch in which he recorded a penalty-kick goal in an 11-1 rout of North Central (Minn.), then logged all 90 minutes in a 2-0 shutout of Colorado College.

"I wasn't expecting this at all," said Cornett, an all-conference and all-state performer during his prep career. "Coming into the season, I just wanted to contribute in any way I could. But it means a lot that (head coach) Tudor (Flintham) has had enough confidence to start me every game so far. And my teammates have done a great job setting me up in great situations. 

"I haven't had many unassisted goals. That means the rest of the guys have been putting me in good spots and I've taken advantage of that."

Cornett, who started playing soccer on a rec team when he was three years old, said his season-opening goal against St. Norbert was one of the most memorable he's scored - trailing perhaps only a game-winning goal in a 2-1 Section 2-3A quarterfinal victory over archival St. Paul Highland Park last fall.

"That was one I'll never forget," Cornett recalled. "It came with two minutes left and there's no feeling better than running to the corner with your teammates right beside you celebrating after a big win like that.

"But I don't know if I've ever been more excited than I was after that first goal against St. Norbert this year," he continued. "Just because that was my first game in college and I had no idea how it was going to go. I didn't know if I'd play well or I'd play poorly. And if I played poorly, was that going to define my season? It was all new to me at the college level. So getting a goal right away was a huge boost to my confidence."

Cornett spent much of the preseason with the second unit but began seeing more and more first-line time in scrimmages. Still, until Flintham revealed the starting lineup the day before the season opener, he did not know he'd be in it.

"Once I found out, I was overly joyous," he said. "It was a pretty incredible feeling. Normally I'm not very nervous before games. I have a ritual I go through and I'm able to stay pretty laid back. But when I got out there that day, and the national anthem was playing, there were some butterflies. It hit me that this was really happening. 

"I wanted to do a good job to prove the confidence the coaches were showing in me was justified."

His head coach, though, said he never doubted Cornett's worthiness.

"Billy is a really special player and person," Flintham said. "He's a born leader who the guys just immediately respected. Part of that is obviously because he's an elite player with a big footprint in games. But it's more than that. He's always talking, giving information, telling jokes to lighten the mood, getting on guys when it's needed. He's got a great balance with the way he interacts with the guys. 

From a player perspective he is a cornerstone in everything we do and we simply wouldn't be the same team without him."

In addition to a stellar prep career, Cornett also played club soccer with the St. Paul Blackhawks from age nine to 18. Despite all that, though, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue playing at the college level. His initial plan was to attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

But when that didn't work out, he began looking at other schools that had shown recruiting interest.

"I wanted to stay in the Midwest," he said. "I looked at a couple of Division I schools and a few Division III programs. I knew a few people who'd played at Saint John's previously and I talked with them about their experiences. But the biggest thing was just talking to Tudor on my visits and during phone calls. He was so welcoming and I got a really good feeling about him I didn't get other places. 

"It seemed like he really cared about my overall well-being. He wanted me to be successful not just in soccer, but academically and socially as well. That won me over."

Cornett's father Roger works in insurance and his mother Jody taught English for two decades at Cretin-Derham Hall. Both played sports in high school and his older sister Lucy - the salutatorian of her high school class and now a senior at Boston College - played volleyball when she was younger.

"Nobody played soccer though," he said. "That was just something I came to on my own and found out I really enjoyed."

His coaches and teammates at Saint John's are certainly enjoying his presence on the pitch too. The Johnnies have no seniors and only three juniors on this season's roster. But despite that inexperience, SJU is 12-1-2 overall and has outscored its opposition 60-4.

"To do that on a team with no seniors is kind of amazing, but everyone has stepped up and made the most of their opportunities," he said. "It certainly makes you excited to see what we can do in the future. But one thing Tudor has stressed to us repeatedly is to seize the moment we have in front of us now. 

"There's a chance to do big things this season and we don't want to let that pass by."