New Haven, Conn. – It was a record-setting season for the Albertus Magnus College men's lacrosse team in 2016 as the Falcons ended the year a 4-10 overall record and finished eighth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) with a 1-7 mark to just miss qualifying for the league's post-season tournament.
In his third year at the helm of the program, Head Coach Darryl Delia set a new school record with four wins as he led AMC to victories against Anna Maria, Wheelock, Emerson and Mount St. Vincent.
Following the campaign, junior attackmen Greg Buck (Berlin, Conn.) earned All- GNAC distinction and classmate Justin Bennet (Fairfield, Conn.) represented Albertus Magnus on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Buck earned third team honors for the Falcons after scoring 38 markers and adding 10 assists for 48 points, while Bennet had another quality year for AMC, scoring 31 goals and finishing third on the team with 44 points.
During the spring, the Falcons had two different players honored by the league with weekly accolades. Bennet was tabbed as the GNAC Player of the Week on March 14 and sophomore netminder Jack Kerner (Merrick, N.Y.) was twice named the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week.
After dropping the season opener on the road against Massachusetts Maritime, the Falcons bounced back with a resounding, 20-7, win at home versus Wheelock. The 20-goal outburst marked a season-best for Albertus Magnus as Bennet and Buck combined for 11 tallies and four assists in the victory. The Falcons were dominant in the face-off circle, winning 24-of-31 en route to their first victory of the season. Down the stretch, AMC put the game out of reach with eight goals in the fourth quarter.
Following a non-conference road setback to Daniel Webster, Albertus Magnus got back to .500 with home triumph against Emerson on March 26. The victory over the Lions marked the second straight at home for the Falcons thanks to an eight-goal performance from Bennet. Buck added four tallies in the triumph and sophomore attack Brennan Moore (Meriden, Conn.) found the back of the net three times. Kerner made 15 saves in over 55 minutes of action to earn his second win of the year. In relief of Kerner, freshman backstop John Brunetti (West Haven, Conn.) stopped two shots in four minutes of play.
Next time out, AMC raced past Mt. St. Vincent, 14-11, with Buck leading the offensive charge in the Empire State. The win gives the men's lacrosse team a record above .500 for the first time in program history. The victory was also the first of the season for AMC outside of New Haven. Kerner was impressive in net, turning aside a career-high 25 shots.
Later in the spring, Albertus Magnus would set a new program high for wins in a season with an 18-5 thumping of Anna Maria under the lights at Celentano Field. It was an historic evening for Buck, as his fourth strike of the first half made him the first player in program history to score 100 career goals. The nine points marked a new season-high and he netted seven markers for the second time this season. In his first collegiate start in the cage, Brunetti made 22 saves to earn the victory.
Over the final two weeks of the regular season, the Falcons dropped their final five conference tilts to just miss qualifying for post-season play. Sophomore Paul Mirmina (Milford, Conn.) emerged as a scoring threat late in the year, registering two or more points in three of the team's final four contests.
Senior Adam Earl (Hamden, Conn.) ended his stellar career on a high note with a new single-season program record 40 caused turnovers. Earl leaves Albertus Magnus as the school's all-time leader in caused turnovers with 78 and he's second all-time with 150 ground balls. At the end of the year athletics department banquet, he named the team's MVP, while junior Matt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) was the Most Improved Player and Bennet was the team's Falcon Award winner.
Moore ended the year with a team-high 49 points thanks to 29 goals and a team-best 20 assists. Three of his strikes came with an extra attacker and he led the squad in helpers for the second time in his career. Moore is currently third in school history in points with 93 and is 15 assists away from setting a new school record. Buck re-wrote the record books this spring, become the program's all-time leader in goals, points, shots and shots per game.
Bennet was a two-way threat for the Falcons, scoring 31 goals, causing 12 turnovers and grabbing a program-record 120 ground balls. Bennet also went 146-273 on face-offs this year to now sit atop the school records in ground balls, face-offs won and face-off percentage. He enters his final season in New Haven nine points shy of 100 for his career.
Defensively, Earl anchored the backline while Mueller and sophomore Jon Gravius (Howell, N.J.) enjoyed breakout seasons. Mueller had 24 caused turnovers and 52 ground balls while playing a pivotal role in the team's transition and clearing plays. Gravius chipped in 20 caused turnovers and scored his first collegiate tally in the season finale at eventual GNAC-Champion Emmanuel.
In the cage, Kerner won three games and posted a 13.55 goals-against average to go along with 184 saves and a .549 save percentage in over 668 minutes this spring. Brunetti amassed a .600 save percentage with a 12.59 goals-against average and 54 saves in 170 minutes of action this year.
For the latest information on the men's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
