The Youngstown State women's lacrosse team will host Detroit Mercy on Saturday and celebrate Senior Day in their final regular season home game at the Watson and Tressel Training Site.
The contest, originally scheduled to be played at Farmers National Bank Field, will now be played inside the WATTS.
First draw is set for 1 p.m. as the Penguins honor graduate student Ali Korin prior to the start of the contest. Fans in attendance will receive a $5 Dunkin' gift card (while supplies last).
A Win Would…
- Clinch a Mid-American Conference tournament berth for the Penguins by guaranteeing at least a top-four finish in conference standings
- Improve YSU's conference record to 4-3 and overall record to 6-10
- Be the second straight year the Penguins have posted a winning record at home, 5-4
- Better the Penguins' all-time record against the Titans to 4-1
Scouting Detroit Mercy
The Titans are currently 3-8 overall and have posted a 2-3 conference record. They currently sit fifth in the MAC standings behind the Penguins in fourth. Detroit Mercy is coming off a 20-8 loss to Central Michigan on April 15. Youngstown State is also coming off a loss to the Chippewas by a 15-8 decision on Wednesday. The Titans have defeated Eastern Michigan (17-7) and Akron (11-10) so far in conference play while losing to Robert Morris (18-10) and Central Michigan twice (13-8, 20-8). The Penguins also earned wins over Eastern Michigan (17-15) and Akron twice (18-7, 18-5) while being defeated by Robert Morris (12-10, 12-6) and Central Michigan (15-8).
Leading Detroit Mercy's scoring effort is Cat Kopchia who has posted 19 goals on the season and delivered six assists for 25 points. Annie Gilbert has also posted 27 points on the season with 17 goals and 8 assists. Sarah Meek leads the Titans in draw controls with 26 while Maddy Camm leads in caused turnovers, forcing 12.
Goalkeeper Meredith Leavell has recorded the majority of minutes in the cage for the Titans. Leavell has made 114 saves on 299 shots faced while giving up 123 goals for a .481 save percentage. She also leads the team in ground balls with 31.
Detroit Mercy is under the direction of Dwayne Hicks who is in his third season with the Titans. In 2022, the Titans posted a 2-13 overall record and were 2-8 in MAC play to finish fifth overall in the conference.
Penguins vs. Titans Series History
In the series history between Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy, the Penguins own a 3-1 advantage over the Titans. YSU swept the series against the Titans in 2022 with two thrilling overtime victories. On March 12, the Guins won 12-11 (OT) and again defeated the Titans on April 16 (10-9 (OT)).
The Penguins earned a 12-7 victory in the teams' first ever face-off on March 13, 2021. The Titans earned a 24-12 win over the Penguins later in the season to split the 2021 series with YSU.
By the Numbers
- Natalie Calandra-Ryan leads the Penguins in goals scored (35), points (48), and draw controls (66) while ranking second in assists (13).
- Ali Korin leads active Penguins in goals scored with 31. Korin has also made 10 assists on the season for 41 points, which ranks third on the team.
- Erin Clark leads the team in assists with 19 and leads active Penguins in points with 47. Clark ranks third overall in goals scored with 28 and ranks second in draw controls with 40.
- Jordan Miller ranks fourth overall in goals with 20 while freshman Ally Garrett has scored 17 goals on the season to round out the top-5 Penguin scorers.
- Abby Yesko (10), Tristen Chang (8), Taylor Bumstead (6), Jade Shearer (5), Molly Sheridan (2), Shannyn Cullen (2), and Dany Emler (2), have also found the back of the net multiple times in 2023.
- Defender Aryss Lindsey leads the Penguins in caused turnovers with 20 while midfielder Molly Sheridan has caused 15 to rank second on the team. Lindsey also ranks second in ground balls, grabbing 24.
- Goalkeeper Mikaela Staranko has started all 15 games for the Penguins. She has made 113 saves on 359 shots faced while giving up 168 goals for a .402 save percentage. Staranko also leads the Penguins in ground balls with 26. Redshirt-Freshman Jacqueline Cornell has seen action in nine games this season making 44 saves while giving up 52 goals for a .458 save percentage.
Conference Comparisons
- Youngstown State ranks third in the MAC in goals per game (11.87), points per game (16.67), shots-on-goal per game (20.53), and draw controls per game (13.80). The Penguins also rank second in assists per game with a 4.80 average.
- Sophomore Natalie Calandra-Ryan ranks first in the conference in draw controls per game (6.00) and second in points per game (4.36). 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 third in assists per game (1.27), seventh in points per game (3.13), and tenth in draw controls per game (2.67).
- Ali Korin ranks seventh in goals per game, averaging 2.21, and also ranks eighth in points per game with a 2.93 average.
- Defender Aryss Lindsey ranks third in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.33. With a 1.15 caused turnover average, Molly Sheridan ranks ninth in the conference.
- Goalkeeper Mikaela Staranko ranks fifth in saves per game with a 7.53 average.
Last Time Out
The Penguins (5-10, 3-3 MAC) dropped a tough 15-8 decision to Mid-American Conference leading Central Michigan (7-6, 5-0 MAC) at the Central Michigan Soccer/Lacrosse Complex on Wednesday.
Ali Korin led the Penguins' scoring effort with four goals on the day. Jordan Miller, Abby Yesko, Jade Shearer, and Ally Garrett each found the back of the net once. Miller also made an assist in the contest.
Korin's hat trick of goals in today's contest marks her fourth in the Penguins' last six games.
Jacqueline Cornell entered the cage in the second quarter and made five saves while giving up nine goals. Cornell delivered a .357 save percentage as she recorded just over 40 minutes in the cage.
Molly Sheridan led the Penguins in caused turnovers with two while Sheridan and Skyler Weber each grabbed three ground balls.
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 close out the regular season at Kent State on Saturday, April 29. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
