New Haven, Conn. – Fresh off a 6-0 thumping of league foe Norwich on Senior Day over the weekend, the Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team is preparing to take part in the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.
The Falcons finished the year with a 9-7-1 overall record and earned the No. 3 seed and a home game in the GNAC Tournament thanks to a 7-3-1 mark in league play. The team opens postseason play on Sunday, October 30, hosting Emmanuel in the opening round of league tournament. The tilt gets underway at 1:00 pm at Celentano Field as the Falcons look to avenge a 2-0 loss in the Elm City versus the Saints earlier this autumn. The winner of the GNAC Tournament will determine the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Albertus Magnus and Emmanuel will meet in the first round of the league tournament for the second straight year. In 2015, the Saints outlasted the Falcons in penalty kicks. After playing to a scoreless draw in 110 minutes of action, Emmanuel won in penalties, 3-2, behind the foot and goalkeeping of Victoria LaRoche.
Albertus Magnus is making its 10th appearance in the GNAC Tournament, having posted a 2-7-2 mark. Two of the past three seasons, the team has seen its season come to an end in penalty kicks after playing to a draw. AMC is 0-1-1 all-time in postseason play against the Saints. The Falcons are looking to advance out of the first round for the first time since 2014.
It has been a record-breaking season for the team, as senior midfielder Danielle Polvan (East Haven, Conn.) became the school's all-time leader in goals and points. Head Coach Nick Wajnowski also became the first coach in program history to reach 100 career wins, as he currently sits at 101. He is the winningest coach in program history and he earned his 100th win in a 7-0 whitewashing of Suffolk at home last week.
Polvan leads the team this fall in goals (9), points (21), shots (58) and shots on goal (54). Junior Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) has had a breakout year for the Falcons, scoring six goal to go along with one assist for 13 points. All 13 of her points have come in GNAC play and she netted a team-best four game-winning goals. Classmate Alexya Alves (Naugatuck, Conn.) has also enjoyed success this year, totaling 13 points courtesy of five goals and a trio of helpers. Other contributors offensively have been sophomore Kerrigan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.), junior Amanda Montano (North Haven, Conn.) and senior Liz Nagy (Meriden, Conn.). Loughman leads the team with six assists, Montano has scored five goals after missing the beginning of the season and Nagy has set new career-high in goals, assists and points this year.
Defensively, seniors Alexis Mack (Meriden, Conn.), Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) and Bridget Judd (Branford, Conn.) along with juniors Piccirillo and Nikki Kern (Wallingford, Conn.) have anchored the Falcon backline this year. The Albertus Magnus defense ranked third in the conference in goals-against average and recorded five shutouts. The team was one of three in the league that allowed less than one goal per game.
In net, sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) has played solid all autumn. In her first season as a starter, Fenn has posted a 1.47 goals-against average with 62 saves, a .756 save percentage, three shutouts and a 7-7-1 record. All three of her clean sheets came in conference play in 2016. She currently ranks fourth in program history in shutouts and seventh in saves.
