The Opening Kickoff
The Youngstown State women's soccer team (2-5-2, 0-1-1 Horizon League) returns to action when it visits Horizon League member Detroit Mercy, Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. and hosts Milwaukee, Sunday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. at Farmers National Bank Field.
Sunday's Gameday Promotion
Sunday's gameday promotion is the YSU Key Chain Giveaway.
Up Next
The Penguins host Green Bay, Thursday, Oct. 6. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Farmers National Bank Field.
Last Time Out
Youngstown State tied Oakland, 1-1, on Sept. 15 before falling to Wright State, 2-0, on Sept. 18. Against Oakland, freshman Taylor Berry scored her first career goal in the 82nd minute to knot the game and force the tie.
About Detroit Mercy
The Titans enter the week with 3-5-1 overall record and a 1-1-0 mark in Horizon League. Detroit Mercy defeated Northern Kentucky, 2-0, on Sept. 15, but fell to Cleveland State, 2-0, on Sept. 18. Sophia Blankenship leads the Titans with three goals.
The Detroit Mercy Series
This is the 25th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy in a series that dates back to 2000. The Titans own a 21-3 advantage in the all-time series, but the Penguins won the most recent meeting, 2-1, in overtime last year at Farmers National Bank Field.
About Milwaukee
Milwaukee enters the week with a 4-3-1 overall record and a 1-1-0 mark in league play. Kayla Rollins leads the Panthers and the Horizon League in both goals and total points with six goals and 12 points.
The Milwaukee Series
This is the 21st meeting between Youngstown State and Milwaukee in a series that dates back to 2001. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 18-2, and have won the last six contests. The last YSU victory was a 3-2 overtime win on Sept. 27, 2014, at Farmers National Bank Field.
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 leads the league with 48 saves, ranks second with 5.33 saves per game, tied for third with three shutouts, and is fourth with an .814 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
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