New Haven, Conn. – It was a record-breaking year in 2016 for the Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team, as new program-bests were set and the team earned its first-ever berth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. The Falcons ended the fall with an 11-8-1 overall record and were the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament thanks to posting a 7-3-1 mark in league play.
The team saw its season come to an end with a 2-1 setback against top-seeded Lasell in the conference championship. The Lasers erased a one-goal deficit with a pair of strikes during the final 20 minutes of regulation to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Following the year, four Falcons received All-GNAC honors. 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. Freshman midfielder Erin Daly (Seymour, Conn.) represented Albertus Magnus on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
The accolades didn't stop there as Piccirillo earned a spot on the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-New England Team. She received third-team distinction alongside four other midfielders. She becomes the fifth player in program history to earn NSCAA All-New England distinction and the first since Polvan picked up third-team honors in 2014. Piccirillo was one of five GNAC players to earn regional recognition this autumn.
In his 10th year at the helm of the program, Head Coach and alum Nick Wajnowski earned his 100th career victory in a 7-0 thumping of Suffolk at home in mid-October. Wajnowski is the winningest coach in program history and he has been on the bench for 103 of the school's all-time wins. He is now 103-70-20 overall and 66-38-12 in conference play as the team's head coach.
Polvan became the school's all-time leader in goals this season. In a non-conference win against Mitchell, she scored four markers to move past Sam Gigliotti '10 and Danielle Figueroa '12 to hold the new school record. During her senior season, She also became the program's all-time leader in points with 85. In conference play, she netted five goals and added three assists for 13 points.
After a 3-0 setback at regional foe Wentworth to open the year, Albertus Magnus earned the 100th win in school history with a 2-1 road victory against Nichols. Senior Liz Nagy (Meriden, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal midway through the second half to lead the Falcons past the Bison in early September.
Following a 2-0 loss at home versus Elms, Albertus Magnus played to a scoreless draw in its GNAC opener against St. Joseph's (Maine). In the tie, Falcon sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) made four saves to record her second career shutout.
One week later, AMC earned its first conference win of the autumn with a 2-0 blanking off Simmons. Polvan and junior forward Alexya Alves (Naugatuck, Conn.) scored for the Falcons and Fenn turned aside eight shots for her second consecutive clean sheet in GNAC play.
Albertus Magnus ended the first month of the season with shutout wins at home against in-state foe Mitchell and on the road versus Anna Maria. The Falcons outscored the Mariners and AMCATS 12-0 in the two wins.
October was a productive month for the team as Albertus Magnus went 6-2, highlighted by shutout wins versus Rivier, Suffolk, Norwich and Emmanuel. The 1-0 win against the Saints came in the opening round of the GNAC Tournament at Celentano Field. Fenn was stellar in net, making four saves and Polvan potted the eventual game-winner late in the opening half.
In the GNAC Semifinals, Albertus Magnus knocked off seventh-seeded Suffolk, 1-0, in double overtime. Rotella scored the game-winner on a header off a corner taken by sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.). Once again, Fenn kept the opposition off the board by stopping four shots en route to her fifth shutout of the fall.
The Falcons were poised to pull off an upset at Lasell in the GNAC Championship before the Lasers came charging back to end AMC's season. Alves opened the scoring with her sixth marker of the season. Piccirillo started the play with a through ball that led Alves in on breakaway. With just Lasell junior goalkeeper Sarah LaClair in front of her, Alves gave the guests the one-goal advantage in the 38th minute. The helper was Picirillo's second of the season as both have come against GNAC opponents. Fenn played well in a losing effort for the Falcons, turning aside a career-high 12 shots.
Polvan led the team this fall in goals (10), points (23), shots (66) and shots on goal (39). Piccirillo has had a breakout year for the Falcons, scoring six goal to go along with two assists for 14 points. All of her points have come in GNAC play and she netted a team-best four game-winning goals. Alves has also enjoyed success this year, totaling 15 points courtesy of six goals and a trio of helpers. Other contributors offensively have been Loughman, junior Amanda Montano (North Haven, Conn.) and Nagy. Loughman led the team with seven assists, Montano scored five goals after missing the beginning of the season and Nagy set new career-highs in goals, assists and points this year.
Defensively, Mack, Rotella and classmate Bridget Judd (Branford, Conn.) along with juniors Nikki Kern (Wallingford, Conn.) and Piccirillo anchored the Falcon backline this year. The Albertus Magnus defense ranked third in the conference in goals-against average and recorded nine shutouts. The team was one of three in the league that allowed less than one goal per game.
In net, Fenn has played solid all autumn. In her first season as a starter, Fenn has posted a 1.31 goals-against average with 82 saves, a .788 save percentage, five shutouts and a 9-8-1 record. She currently ranks fourth in program history in shutouts and sixth in saves. Senior Ryan Clark (Milford, Conn.) also saw action in goal for Albertus Magnus, racking up a 2-0-0 record to go along with five saves, a 0.34 goals-against average and an .833 save percentage.
For the latest information on the women's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
