The Opening Kickoff
The Youngstown State women's soccer team (4-6-3, 2-2-2 Horizon League) goes for its third straight win when it hosts Horizon League leader Purdue Fort Wayne, Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at Farmers National Bank Field. The Penguins also visit Cleveland State, Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.

Thursday's Gameday Promotion
Thursday's gameday promotion is the YSU Football Ticket Giveaway.

Up Next
The Penguins host IUPUI on Senior Day, Saturday, Oct. 22. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Farmers National Bank Field.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State won two straight Horizon League matches for the first time since 2015 when it knocked off Green Bay, 3-0, on Oct. 6 and Northern Kentucky, 1-0, on Oct. 9. Elis Klein Spindola scored a goal and had an assist against the Phoenix and posted another goal against the Norse. Senior Abriana Rondin and junior Justine Appolonia also posted goals against Green Bay. Junior Brooklynn Kirkpatrick recorded a pair of shutouts.

About Purdue Fort Wayne
The Mastodons enter the week with a 7-2-5 overall record and a 3-0-3 mark in the Horizon League. PFW is tied for the league lead with 12 points. Mackenzie Evans leads the Mastodons with 10 points on four goals and two assists. 

The Purdue Fort Wayne Series
This is the 11th meeting between Youngstown State and Purdue Fort Wayne in a series that dates back to 2004. The Mastodons lead the all-time series, 6-4, and have won the last two meetings. YSU defeated PFW, 2-1, the last time the  teams met at Farmers National Bank Field in 2019.

About Cleveland State
Cleveland State enters the week with a 5-6-3 overall record and a 2-4-1 league mark. Kathryn Ramicone, Mayra Sesmas and Maddie each have four goals and an assist to lead the Vikings.

The Cleveland State Series
This is the 20th meeting between Youngstown State and Cleveland State in a series that dates back to 2004. The Vikings own an 11-6-2 advantage in the all-time series. The last Penguins victory was a 1-0 win in 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Last season, the teams tied, 0-0.

Kirkpatrick Ties Shutouts Record, Named POW
For the second time this season, junior goalkeeper Brooklynn Kirkpatrick was named the Nike Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Kirkpatrick notched a pair of shutouts last week and helped the Penguins to a 2-0 record. She also tied the YSU single-season record for shutouts with five, tying the mark set in 2008 by Mariah Snyder. Kirkpatrick tallied five saves against Green Bay on Oct. 6 and added four more against the Norse on Oct. 9. She ranks third in league with 67 saves, a .848 save percentage, and 5.58 saves per game. This is the third weekly award of Kirkpatrick's career. She was named the defensive player of the week on Sept. 6, 2022, and Oct. 4, 2021.

Tarzi Goes Off
Elis Klein Spindola turned in a player-of-the-week performance last week for the Penguins. She scored a pair of game-winning goals against Green Bay on Oct. 6 and at Northern Kentucky on Oct. 9. She was also credited with an assist in YSU's 3-0 win over Green Bay.

Rondin, Appolonia Get in Scoring Column
Senior Abriana Rondin and junior Justine Appolonia each posted their first goals of the season against Green Bay on Oct. 6. It also marked Appolonia's first career goal.

Evans Notches First Career Goal
Fifth-year senior Jordan Evans with a header against Milwaukee on Sept. 25. Evans scored off a direct kick from Mikayla Mustard in the 50th minute of the game.

Kirkpatrick One of Two
Junior Brooklynn Kirkpatrick became just the second player in program history to record three consecutive shutouts with her clean sheet against the Golden Flashes on Sept. 8. She tallied seven saves and against the Golden Flashes.Kirkpatrick ranks second in saves per game at 5.80, third with 58 saves and an .829 save percentage.

Welch Scores Game-Winner
The Penguins and Golden Flashes batted scoreless for 71 minutes before Welch found paydirt. Junior Lianna Van Sice booted a corner kick from the right side into the middle of the box where Welch's header found the bottom left corner of the goal at the 71:14 mark of the game. 

Kirkpatrick Named Horizon League Defensive POW
Youngstown State junior goalkeeper Brooklynn Kirkpatrick was named the Nike Horizon League Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6. Kirkpatrick led the Penguins to a 1-0-1 record last week and recorded back-to-back shutouts. She tallied five saves in a 0-0 tie against St. Bonaventure on Sept. 1 and posted eight saves in the Penguins' 1-0 win over Bucknell on Sept. 4. Her four career shutouts now rank tied for fifth in school history. This is the second weekly award of her career. She was named the defensive player of the week on Oct. 4, 2021.

LaVigna Nets Game-Winner
Senior Regan LaVigna's first goal of the season came at the most opportune time. After nearly 60 scoreless minutes against Bucknell, LaVigna found the left-bottom corner of the goal. From just outside the top-left of the penalty box senior Haley Curtis centered a pass in front of the goal where a sliding LaVigna punched a right-footed shot past the Bison's goalkeeper at the 59:59 mark.

Root Gets on the Board
Senior Maddie Root scored her first goal of the season against Duquesne on Aug. 25. Her goal against the Dukes was her second career goal with Youngstown State.

Penguins Picked Ninth
The Youngstown State women's soccer team was predicted to finish ninth in the Horizon League in preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The Penguins collected 49 points, including one first-place vote while Oakland was picked the win the league with 115 points and five first-votes.

2022 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll
Pl.        Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.         Oakland (5) – 115
2.         Milwaukee (5) – 108
3.         Northern Kentucky – 96
4.         Cleveland State – 74
5.         Green Bay – 65
6.         Wright State – 60
7.         IUPUI – 55
8.         Purdue Fort Wayne – 51
9.         Youngstown State (1) – 49
10.        Detroit Mercy – 28
11.        RMU – 25