Winthrop, Mass. – Following an historic autumn on the pitch, four members of the Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team earned All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) honors as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. The Falcons landed one player on the first team and three student-athletes on the second team.
Junior midfielder Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) had a breakout season and landed on the first team, while seniors Danielle Polvan (East Haven, Conn.), Alexis Mack (Meriden, Conn.) and Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) all received second-team distinction.
The GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team was also announced on Monday afternoon and freshman midfielder Erin Daly (Seymour, Conn.) represented Albertus Magnus on the squad.
Piccirillo earns league-wide recognition for the first time in her career thanks to recording 13 points in 11 conference games this fall. She also picked up an assist in the conference championship to close out the year with six goals and two assists to total 14 points. In each GNAC game she scored in, the Falcons won and Piccirillo has delivered the game-winning strike. She ended the regular season with back-to-back multi-goal games against league opponents. In conference play, she ranks 10th in goals and is tied for 11th in points, while tying for the league-lead with four game-winning goals. Angelina is the daughter of Mark and Mary Piccirillo and is majoring in Criminal Justice.
Polvan ends her stellar career with the Falcons by earning all-conference accolades for the fourth time. She earned third team honors twice, was named to the first team as a sophomore and landed on the second team this fall. Following the conclusion of the GNAC Tournament, she was one of three Albertus Magnus players named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Polvan had a record-breaking season for Albertus Magnus. She became the program's all-time leader in goals and points with 37 and 85, respectively. In conference play, she netted five goals and added three assists for 13 points. Polvan had the game-winning goal and assisted on another Falcons strike in a shutout win against Simmons early in the season and she also delivered the lone goal in a 1-0 victory against Emmanuel in the GNAC Quarterfinals. She had two multi-goal games in GNAC play. In conference play, she ranks 11th in goals and 11th in points. Danielle is the daughter of Lisa LaPenna and is majoring in criminal justice.
Mack had another quality year on the back-end for the Falcons and earned All-GNAC recognition for the fourth time in her career. She has twice earned second team honors, landed on the first team as a sophomore and was tabbed Third Team All-GNAC as a junior. Mack started all 11 GNAC games on the backline for the Falcons. She also added an assist in a victory against Norwich. She captained an Albertus Magnus backline that ranked third in the GNAC in goals-against average and recorded nine shutouts. She played a key role on a defense that was one of just three in the league to all less than one goal per game. Alexis is the daughter of Carrie Bafuma and is majoring in communications.
Rotella had a strong season once again for Albertus Magnus and earned All-GNAC distinction for the second time in her career after landing on the third team in 2015. Following the conclusion of the GNAC Tournament, she was one of three Albertus Magnus players named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Rotella started all 20 games for the Falcons on defense this fall. She captained an Albertus Magnus backline that ranked third in the GNAC in goals-against average and recorded nine shutouts. She played a key role on a defense that was one of just three in the league to all less than one goal per game. Rotella also netted a career-high six goals in conference play, highlighted by a two-goal performance in a win against St. Joseph (Conn.). She had two game-winning goals and she found the back of the net in three of the team's final four regular season games. Arguably the biggest marker of her career came in overtime against Suffolk in the GNAC Semifinals as she sent the team to its first-ever GNAC Championship berth. Taylor is the daughter of Domenic & Eileen Rotella and is majoring in sports communications.
Daly had a solid first season on campus for Albertus Magnus, scoring two goals and adding two assists for six points. Her first collegiate goal came in a 2-1 non-conference road win at Nichols in just her second appearance. In league action, she had one goal and one assist and the team won both games in which she recorded a point. Erin is the daughter of Joan and Kevin Daly.
The women's soccer team saw its season to come to an end over the weekend with a 2-1 setback at top-seeded Lasell in the GNAC Championship. The Falcons ended the year with an 11-8-1 overall record and reached the conference championship for the first time in program history. Earlier in the season, head coach Nick Wajnowski earned his 100th career victory in a 7-0 whitewashing of league foe Suffolk at home. Wajnowksi is the winningest coach in program history.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
For the latest information on the women's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
