The Youngstown State lacrosse program will return to Mid-American Conference play as they take on Detroit Mercy at Titan Field in Detroit, Mich. on Sunday. First draw against the Titans is set for 1 p.m.

Gameday Info

YSU vs. Detroit Mercy

Scouting Detroit Mercy

The Titans are 1-8 on the season, recording their first win of 2024 on Tuesday against Kennesaw State by a close margin of 17-16. Detroit Mercy opened conference play against Central Michigan this past Sunday, where it was just narrowly defeated by the Chippewas 9-8. The Penguins and Titans have played two of the same teams this season with both programs losing to Duquesne and Lindenwood.

Cat Kopchia leads Detroit Mercy's offensive effort with 28 goals and three assists for 31 points on the season. Maddy Camm has also recorded over 20 points on the year with 13 goals and a team-leading eight assists. Camm also leads the Titans in ground balls (25) and caused turnovers (16). Alyssa Jarvis has collected 40 draw controls to lead Detroit Mercy this season.

Goalie Meredith Leavell has played nearly 500 minutes in the cage this season, making 86 saves while giving up 120 goals for a .417 save percentage.

The Titans are under the direction of Madeline Dugan, who is in her first season as head coach of the team, serving as assistant coach of the program in 2022. The Titans finished 3-11 overall last season and were 2-6 in Mid-American Conference play, finishing fifth in MAC standings.

In the 2024 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Detroit Mercy was picked to finish seventh while the Penguins were picked tied for fifth.

Penguins vs. Titans Series History

The Penguins own a 4-1 advantage over Detroit Mercy in program history. YSU has won three straight against the Titans, winning the most recent matchup on April 22, 2023 by a score of 20-8. The Penguins clinched a MAC Tournament berth in the contest last season. Youngstown State also won both matchups with the Titans in 2022 with both games going to overtime as the Penguins took home one-goal victories. In 2021, the Penguins and Detroit Mercy split contests.

Brick Wall Borkowski

Freshman goalie Paige Borkowski leads all of Division I in saves per game, averaging 11.67 a contest. Borkowski has already eclipsed the 100-goal mark just nine games into the season. Borkowski set YSU's single-game saves record with 20 against Stetson, which is tied for the second-most saves in a game by any Division I goalie this season.

Borkowski made 17 saves in the Penguins' most recent game against Lindenwood to mark her second-best number of the season. Overall, she has made 105 saves on the season, allowing 156 goals for a save percentage of .402. She delivered her best save percentage of the season against Lindenwood with an even .500.

By The Numbers

• Freshman Lena Cox leads the Penguins in goals (21), assists (5), and points (26). Cox recorded career-highs of five goals and six points, all in the second half, in the Penguins' MAC Opener against Kent State on March 17. 
• Sophomore Ally Garrett and freshman Ava Kreutzer have both scored 13 goals to tie for second most on the team. Garrett scored four in the Penguins' most recent outing against Lindenwood while Kreutzer has recorded three hat tricks on the season. Kreutzer is second on the team in assists with four and points with 17. Kreutzer has recorded an impressive shot percentage with 13 goals on 19 shots (.684).
• Freshmen Grace Rund and Katie Grottenthaler each eclipsed the 10-goal mark against Kent State. They round out the top-five Penguin scorers with 10 goals apiece.
• Freshman Genna Cooke has scored eight goals while Brooke Peck has recorded six. Other Penguins to find the back of the net are Emma Hoffman (4), Jade Shearer (3), Molly Sheridan (2), Callie Vaudry (2), and Aryn Lohrey (1).
• Shearer is tied with Kreutzer for second-most assists with four while Madison Maciag has delivered three.
• Kayla Stecker has led the Penguins defensively this season. Kayla has grabbed 23 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers. Her six ground balls and five caused turnovers at Stetson were the second-best single-game marks in YSU history in both statistical categories.
• Genna Cooke leads a well-balanced draw control effort for YSU with 19 draw controls while Katie Grottenthaler has collected 18 and Mia Stahl 15.

Conference Comparisons

• Youngstown State leads the MAC by a large margin in shots percentage with 93 of 201 shots finding the back of the net (.463).
• Lena Cox ranks fourth in the MAC in goals per game (2.33), fifth in points per game (2.89), and fifth in shots per game (4.56).
• Kayla Stecker leads the MAC in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.89. Stecker also ranks sixth in ground balls per game with a 2.56 average.
• Paige Borkowski leads the MAC (and all of Division I) in saves per game, averaging 11.67.

Last Time Out

The Penguins moved to 0-9 on the season after falling to Lindenwood's second-half surge, 17-10, on Wednesday at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.

The Penguins and Lions were tied 7-7 at halftime but Lindenwood outscored YSU 10-3 in the second half. 

Ally Garrett matched a career-high with four goals, three of which came in the first half for a hat trick early on. Lena Cox also scored multiple goals, finding the back of the net twice.

Four Penguins found the back of the net once: Ava Kreutzer, Callie Vaudry, Brooke Peck, and Genna Cooke while four Penguins made assists with Cox, Kreutzer, Katie Grottenthaler, and Grace Runddelivering helping hands in the contest.

Paige Borkowski recorded impressive numbers at goal. She made 17 saves on the day, 11 of which came in the first half where she delivered a .611 save percentage. She gave up 17 goals in the game for an even save percentage, .500.

Kayla Stecker caused three turnovers while Dany Emler and Jocelyn Fike grabbed three ground balls. Grottenthaler collected two draw controls to lead the Guins.

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.

Penguins Tied for Fifth

In the 2024 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Penguins were slated to finish tied for fifth with Akron with 13 points.

Kent State was slated to win the conference while Central Michigan was just behind in second. The Golden Flashes and Chippewas each garnered three first-place nods and tournament champion votes apiece. Robert Morris was slated to finish third in the 2024 poll and garnered a first-place vote and tournament champion nod. In fourth was Eastern Michigan just head of Youngstown State and Akron in fifth. Detroit Mercy was slated to finish seventh.

Up Next

Youngstown State will face St. Bonaventure in a midweek, non-conference matchup at the Tom 80' and Michelle Marra Athletics Field Complex in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. First draw against the Bonnies is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

For news and updates throughout the 2024 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.