Albertus Magnus College
Women's Soccer Weekly Preview 

Albertus Magnus College (1-1)
at
Suffolk (1-0)
Sat., Sept. 9 • 1 p.m. • Boston, Mass.
Links: LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO

A NEW WEEK
The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team is on the road this week as the Falcons open up GNAC play on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Suffolk University.

WEEK ONE RECAP
GAME 1: Albertus Magnus 2 | Elms 1 – RECAP / BOX SCORE

GAME 2: Mt. Holyoke 6 | Albertus Magnus 1 –RECAP / BOX SCORE

WEEK ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• With less than 10 seconds to play, Falcons freshman Sophia Austin (East Hartford, Conn.) headed home a corner kick service from senior Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) to give Albertus Magnus the 2-1 edge before the final buzzer against Elms.
• Junior Kerrigan Loughman scored her first goal of the season in the loss to Mount Holyoke.
• Junior goalkeeper Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) finished the week with a 1-1 record as well as made 14 saves in net.
• Senior Alexa Alves (Naugatuck, Conn.) also tallied a point in week one as she recorded an assist in the win over Elms.

AUSTIN NAMED TO GNAC WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Freshman Sophia Austin (East Hartford, Conn.) was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll after she racked up two goals and an assist for five points as Albertus Magnus went 1-1 last week in non-conference action. In the season opener, Austin scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, to defeat Elms, 2-1. She finished out the weekend with an assist in the loss to Mount Holyoke.

LAST YEAR VS. SUFFOLK
GAME 1: Albertus Magnus 7 | Suffolk 0 – RECAP/BOXSCORE

GAME 2: Albertus Magnus 2 | Suffolk 1 – RECAP/BOX SCORE
HIGHLIGHT: Senior Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead the No. 3 seed Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team past visiting No. 7 seed Suffolk, 1-0, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinals at Celentano Field.

THIS YEAR NOTES

• Albertus Magnus returns one All-GNAC player from last year's team. 
• The Falcons welcome 10 newcomers to the club in 2017.
• Head Coach Nick Wajnowski enters the season with a 103-70-20 record, including a 66-38-12 mark in conference play.
• Albertus Magnus returns 10 players from last year's squad.
• The Falcons have made eight straight appearances in the GNAC Tournament.
• Albertus Magnus is in search of its first season-opening win since 2012. Albertus Magnus began that year with a 3-0 blanking of in-state foe Coast Guard at home. Last fall, the team lost 3-0 to Wentworth.

GNAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
LINK: Complete Release
The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll.

A QUICK LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR

• It was a record-breaking year in 2016 for the women's soccer team, as new program-bests were set and the team earned it's first-ever berth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship.
• The team saw its season come to an end with a 2-1 setback against top-seeded Lasell in the conference 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.
• 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.

NOTEWORTHY STATS FROM 2016-17

• 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.

PICIRRILLO EARNS NSCAA ALL-NEW ENGLAND HONORS
Women's soccer player Angelina Picirrillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) earned a spot on the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-New England Team. She becomes the fifth player in program history to earn NSCAA All-New England distinction and the first since teammate Danielle Polvan(East Haven, Conn.) picked up third-team honors in 2014. Piccirillo was one of five Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) players to earn regional recognition this autumn.

POLVAN LEADS THE PROGRAM
Former Falcon standout Danielle Polvan became the school's all-time leader in goals last 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.

UP NEXT
The Falcons return to action next week against Lasell and Mount Ida.

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For the latest information on the women's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.