New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's lacrosse team finished the 2016 season with a 1-12 overall record and ended the campaign 10th in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) with a 0-9 mark in league contests.
In his third year at the helm of the program, Head Coach Joe Caruso guided the Falcons to a non-conference victory against Bay Path. The triumph was the first outside of New Haven in school history for Albertus Magnus. During the season, the Falcons scored seven or more goals in a game four times, including twice in conference play.
Following the season, junior defender Carla Tapia (Bronx, N.Y.) represented the squad on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. She earned the league-wide distinction for the second time in her collegiate career after starting in all 13 games for the Falcons in 2016. Tapia had seven caused turnovers and 13 groundballs this spring. She also added four draw controls and scored her first career goal.
The team began the spring with three straight non-conference home games. In the season-opener against Framingham State, three different Falcons found the back of the net as junior Amanda Montano (North Haven, Conn.), senior Miranda Jassil (North Branford, Conn.) and freshman Aida Sarr (Bronx, N.Y.) all scored unassisted goals.
After a setback versus Daniel Webster at Celentano Field, AMC erupted for 10 goals in a loss to in-state rival Mitchell. Sarr had a team-best four markers and added an assist for the hosts, while Jassil continued her strong play with two tallies. Defensively, freshman Taylor Bisaillon (Columbia, Conn.) had a team-leading three caused turnovers and three other Falcons had two apiece. Freshman Kerrigan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.) had a team-best four draw controls. Between the pipes, AMC freshman Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) turned aside 10 shots in a losing effort.
In mid-April, Sarr and sophomore Jenny Luna (Brentwood, N.Y.) both netted four goals apiece to lead Albertus Magnus past Bay Path, 12-10. The Falcons put an end to their eight-game skid with the come-from-behind triumph. It was a balanced attack for the guests with Sarr and Luna leading the way, while senior Maria Case (West Haven, Conn.) chipped in two tallies and one assist. Back and forth the two squads went in the second half with the Falcons tying the game at eight all with 17:35 left in regulation following a goal from sophomore Alex Chan (Monroe, N.Y.). Over the next 14 minutes each team netted two tallies apiece with a strike from Helming knotting the tilt at 10.
Down the stretch, Albertus Magnus put the game away with goals by Case and Luna. Case potted the eventual game-winner 3:28 left in the game and with just over 90 seconds left on the clock, Luna added an insurance goal. Fenn earned her first career win with a seven-save performance in the cage.
Over the final two weeks of the regular season, the Falcons dropped their final four conference tilts to miss qualifying for post-season play. In the season finale against Mount Ida, AMC fell 22-7 at home. In defeat, Fenn set a career-best with 18 saves.
It was a two-headed attack for the hosts as Sarr and Jassil combined for all seven of the Falcon goals. Sarr netted four tallies to close out her first year on campus with a team-high 20 markers, while Jassil found the back of the net three times in her final collegiate game.
Sarr had a breakout season as she led the team in goals (20), points (22), free-position goals (6) and shots (54). She became just the fourth player in school history to score 20 or more goals in a season and 22 points were the third-highest mark in program history. Jassil ended an historic career with 16 markers and a team-high three helpers. She leaves Albertus Magnus as the program's all-time leader in points (63), goals (47), assists (16), shots (105), free-position goals (10), groundballs (65) and caused turnovers (28).
In the cage, Fenn amassed an 18.33 goals-against average while making 137 saves and recording a .384 save percentage.
For the latest information on the women's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
