Youngstown State University
Stetson
Penguins Close Road Stretch at Stetson on Monday
3/2/2024 3:40:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Youngstown State women's lacrosse program will close out its three-game road stretch in DeLand, Fla. as they compete against Stetson on Monday. First draw against the Hatters is set for noon at the Athletic Training Center.
Gameday Info
YSU at Stetson
Scouting Stetson
This will be the first meeting in program history for the Penguins and Hatters. Stetson competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference has won one out of their first three non-conference games (1-2). The Hatters opened up the season with a 20-7 win over Presbyterian College but were defeated by Wofford, 20-19, and Davidson, 18-6 in their most recent two games.
Leading Stetson's scoring effort in 2024 is Jordyn Humphrey with 13 goals and six assists for 19 points on the year. Second in points is Kaitlin Pani who has scored eight goals and made four assists for 12 points. Humphrey (31) and Pani (20), and Sam King (14) have been taking the majority of the Hatters' shots.
Molly Kearney has been leading Stetson at draw, netting 10 draw controls on the season. Kearney has also grabbed the most ground balls with seven while Sydney Jenkins has caused the most turnovers with five.
In goal, Sydney Neimann has recorded the bulk of the minutes, making 17 saves while giving up 39 goals for a .304 save percentage. Stetson is under the direction of head coach Christy Leach, who is in her tenth season with the Hatters.
By The Numbers
- The Penguins are led by three freshmen in scoring. Freshmen Lena Cox leads the Penguins in goals scored with six while Grace Rund and Katie Grottenthaler have scored five goals on the year.
- Ally Garrett has scored four goals on the season while Genna Cooke and Jade Shearer found the back of the net three times. Sherear leads the Penguins in assists with four and is tied with Cox in the lead with points for seven.
- Also scoring multiple goals this season are Brooke Peck, Ava Kreutzer, and Molly Sheridan who have each found the back of the net twice while Emma Hoffman and Callie Vaudry have scored once.
- Genna Cooke leads YSU with 12 draw controls while Kayla Stecker leads in ground balls (7) and Sheridan has caused the most turnovers (5).
- Paige Borkowski has recorded 39 saves in the Penguins' first four games, allowing 72 goals for a .351 save percentage.
Last Time Out
The Penguins have recorded an 0-4 record to start the season but have competed against tough non-conference competition. Most recently, the Penguins competed against Cincinnati who was on a three-game winning streak with two wins over Mid-American Conference opponents headed into the Thursday game.
In the matchup, the Penguins were defeated by the Bearcats 25-4 at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Four different Penguins scored the four YSU goals of the game: Callie Vaudry, Lena Cox, Ally Garrett, and Grace Rund.
Vaudry's goal was her first since 2021 after battling injuries for the past two seasons. Vaudry grabbed a ground ball and scored a fast-break ball to mark an exciting moment in the second quarter.
Madison Maciag and Jade Shearer delivered assists with Maciag scoring her first collegiate point.
Mia Kuzdzal led the Penguins defensively, grabbing three ground balls and causing a turnover. Brooke Peck led YSU in draw controls with two. In goal, Paige Borkowski made eight saves.
Harris at the Helm
Head coach Rob Harris took the reins of the Penguins in July of 2023 after nine impressive seasons as head coach of the Division II Davenport Panthers. In 2021, Harris delivered a historic season at Davenport, leading the team to its first NCAA top-25 ranking as well as a GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference) tournament finals appearance. During his tenure with the Panthers, he led the team to an impressive 70 percent win percentage (102-45), winning both an NWLL National and NAIA Invitational Championship in his career.
In August of 2023, Harris brought on experienced coach Taylor Woolard to his staff, who spent three seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Division II Converse University. Woolard serves as associate head coach of the Penguins. Further detailing the experience of the Penguins' coaching staff is Halle Bielke who served as interim head coach of the Penguins during the 2023 season and remains with the Penguins as assistant coach in 2024.
Up Next
The Penguins will begin a three-game homestand on Saturday, March 9 as they host Longwood at Farmers National Bank Field. First draw against the Lancers is set for noon.
For news and updates throughout the 2024 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
