The Youngstown State women's lacrosse team will look to complete the season sweep of Akron on Saturday as they host the Zips at Farmers National Bank Field.
First draw is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be streamed on the YSUsports YouTube channel.
Scouting Akron
The Zips are currently 1-12 overall and 0-4 in Mid-American Conference play. Youngstown State and Akron faced off on April 5 in which the Penguins earned an 18-7 victory over the Zips at the Stile Athletics Field House in Akron, Ohio.
Akron earned its only win of the season over Howard on February 17. The Zips and Penguins have both faced Gardner-Webb in 2023 in which Akron was defeated by the Runnin' Bulldogs, 18-10, while the Penguins earned a victory over Gardner-Webb, 21-18.
Akron's 2023 scoring effort has been led by Alexis Kiefer who has scored 26 goals on the season. Also scoring in double digits are Jaelyn Clinkscales (13) and Macy Vail (12). Graceann Schwab leads the team in assists with six. Beyond goals, Kiefer also leads the team in caused turnovers (15), draw controls (56), and ground balls (21).
Goalkeeper Kylan Rhude has spent the majority of time in the cage for the Zips while Hannah Sanders has seen action in nine games. Rhude has made 69 saves on the season while giving up 80 goals for a .463 save percentage. Sanders has recorded a .392 save percentage making 48 saves while allowing 74 goals in her minutes played.
The Zips are under the direction of head coach Christy Mitchell who is in her fourth season with Akron, having led the program since its inauguration. The Zips were 2-15 overall and 1-9 in MAC play during the 2022 season.
Penguins vs. Zips Series History
Youngstown State swept the two regular-season matchups between the Guins and Zips last season and captured an 18-7 victory over Akron in their first matchup of 2023 to improve their all-time record against the Zips to 3-2.
In the Penguins' 18-7 victory over the Zips on April 5, YSU delivered an impressive performance on both offensive and defensive fronts. Eight Penguins scored in the matchup while four Guins delivered hat tricks. Taylor Bumstead and Ali Korin led the Penguins with four goals apiece while Jordan Miller and Natalie Calandra-Ryan each scored three. Mikaela Staranko impressed in the cage with 15 saves on 27 Akron shots, only giving up seven goals for a career-high .682 save percentage.
On March 3, 2022, YSU earned its first win over in-state rival Akron in a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory. Ali Korin led the Penguins in goals during the contest with four while Natalie Calandra-Ryan delivered a six-point performance with three goals and three assists. Later in the season, on April 9, 2022, the Penguins earned a second victory over the Zips, 17-14. In the win, Calandra-Ryan scored an impressive seven goals while Korin delivered five to push YSU past Akron.
By the Numbers
- Natalie Calandra-Ryan leads the Penguins in goals scored (35), points (48), and draw controls (66). She ranks second in assists (13) and caused turnovers (14).
- Erin Clark leads active Penguins in scoring with 25 goals and 41 points on the year. Clark leads the team in assists with 16 and is also second in draw controls with 37.
- Ali Korin ranks third overall in scoring with 22 goals and 9 assists for 31 points on the season.
- Jordan Miller ranks fourth overall in goals with 18 while freshman Ally Garrett has scored 13 goals on the season to round out the top-5 Penguin scorers.Â
- Abby Yesko (7), Tristen Chang (6), Taylor Bumstead (6), Molly Sheridan (2), Shannyn Cullen (2), Dany Emler (2), and Jade Shearer (2) have also found the back of the net multiple times in 2023.
- Defender Aryss Lindsey leads the Penguins in caused turnovers with 18 while midfielder Molly Sheridan has caused 12 to rank third on the team.
- Goalkeeper Mikaela Staranko has started all 13 games for the Penguins. She has made 106 saves on 333 shots faced while giving up 157 goals for a .403 save percentage. Staranko also leads the Penguins in ground balls with 25. Redshirt-Freshman Jacqueline Cornell has seen action in seven games this season making 37 saves while giving up 43 goals for a .463 save percentage.
Conference Comparisons
- Youngstown State ranks second in points per game (16.62), assists per game (4.92), shots-on-goal per game (20.28), and draw controls per game (13.77). The Penguins also rank third in goals per game (11.69).
- Sophomore Natalie Calandra-Ryan ranks first in the conference in points per game (4.36) and draw controls per game (5.17). Calandra-Ryan sits third in goals per game, averaging 3.18.
- Erin Clark also ranks in the top 10 in several statistical categories as she sits fourth in assists per game (1.18), seventh in points per game (3.15), and seventh in draw controls per game (2.85).
- Defender Aryss Lindsey ranks fourth in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.38.Â
- Goalkeeper Mikaela Staranko ranks fourth in saves per game with an 8.15 average.
Last Time Out
The Penguins couldn't overcome a slow start against Robert Morris as they fell 12-6 at Joe Walton Stadium on Wednesday.
The Penguins fall to 4-9 on the season and 2-2 in Mid-American Conference play while the Colonials improve to 5-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play.Â
Erin Clark and Tristen Chang delivered an impressive connection in the game, linking on four of the Penguins' six goals. Clark and Chang finished with two goals and two assists apiece for four points each, a career-high for Chang.
Taylor Bumstead also found the back of the net twice for Youngstown State while Jordan Miller earned an assist. Bumstead led the Penguins in draw controls with four.
Jocelyn Fike and Kayla Stecker each caused two turnovers on the day as the Guins led the caused turnover margin 8-6. Clark led YSU in ground balls with three.
In the cage, Mikaela Staranko made eight saves while giving up 9 goals for a .471 save percentage. Jacqueline Cornell came into the game midway through the third quarter and made six saves while only allowing three goals for a .667 save percentage.
Offensive Awards
Two Penguins have been named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week in 2023: Erin Clark and Natalie Calandra-Ryan.
Calandra-Ryan earned the award on March 7 after impressive performances against Niagara and No. 3 Northwestern, scoring four goals, netting nine draw controls, and grabbing two ground balls across both games.
Clark earned this season's first Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her all-around impressive offensive performance against Butler in the Guins' season-opener, delivering a seven-point performance and scoring the game-winning goal.
Penguins Picked Fourth
YSU was selected fourth in the 2023 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 31 points.
1. Robert Morris (4) – 46 points
2. Central Michigan (3) – 43 points
3. Kent State – 32 points
4. Youngstown State – 31 points
5. Akron – 18 points
T6. Eastern Michigan – 13 points
T6. Detroit Mercy – 13 points
Up Next
Youngstown State will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Wednesday, April 19 to face Central Michigan who remains undefeated in MAC play through three games this season. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at the Central Michigan Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
