Youngstown State University
Longwood
Lacrosse Opens Three-Game Homestand Against Longwood Saturday
3/8/2024 12:05:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Youngstown State lacrosse program is set to open a three-game homestand at Farmers National Bank Field against Longwood on Saturday.
Gameday Info
YSU at Longwood
Scouting Longwood
This will be the first meeting in program history for the Penguins and Lancers. Longwood, which competes in the Big South, is 0-4 to start the season and was narrowly defeated by Mid-American Conference member Kent State on Thursday, 13-12. They have also lost to Liberty (16-4), Kennesaw State (15-11), and Old Dominion (11-7).
Riley McDonald leads the Lancers' in goals with nine on the season while Sophia Pass has scored eight. Emily Cate Smith has recorded eight assists and two goals for 10 points. Overall, McDonald leads in points with 12, having added three assists to her nine goals. Passa has taken the most shots for Longwood with 20 while McDonald (17), and Holly Hill (14) make up a large number of the Lancers' shots.
Julie Koenig leads Longwood at draw with 10 on the season while Passa has recorded nine. Miranda Helfenbein has caused the most turnovers with six while goalie Bridget Robinson leads in ground balls, collecting 12. In goal, Robinson has recorded the majority of minutes and has made 41 saves while giving up 47 goals for a .466 save percentage.
Longwood is led by head coach Kylar Ferguson, who is in her second season with the team. In her first season in 2023, Longwood finished 4-12 overall and 2-7 in Big South play.
By The Numbers
- Freshman Lena Cox leads the Penguins in goals (10) and points (11) and eclipsed the 10-goal mark with a career-high four goals against Stetson.
- Freshman Grace Rund ranks second in goals scored with six while four different Penguins have scored five goals apiece: Katie Grottentahler, Ava Kreutzer, Ally Garrett, and Genna Cooke.
- Jade Shearer leads in assists with four and has also scored three goals of her own. Freshman Brooke Peck has scored four goals on the year while Molly Sheridan has scored two. Scoring once this season are Emma Hoffman and Callie Vaudry.
- Genna Cooke leads YSU with 14 draw controls while Kayla Stecker leads in ground balls (14) and caused turnovers (9)
- Paige Borkowski has recorded 59 saves in the Penguins' first five games, allowing 93 goals for a .388 save percentage.
- Half of the Penguins' shot find the back of the net as the team has scored 47 goals on 94 total shots for a .500 percentage.
Brick Wall Borkowski
Freshman goalie Paige Borkowski set the program's single-game saves record with 20 against Stetson. Borkowski has faced 201 shots on the year, facing an average of 40 a game and has remained a strong force in the cage. With 59 saves so far on the year, Borkowski has averaged an impressive 11.8 saves per game
Last Time Out
The Penguins moved to 0-5 after falling to Stetson on Monday afternoon. YSU led 9-8 at halftime but Stetson delivered a strong second-half performance to defeat the Penguins 21-13.
In addition to Borkowski's record performance, she recorded a .488 save percentage after facing a 62-shot barrage by the Hatters. Kayla Stecker delivered career-highs in both ground balls (6) and caused turnovers (5). Both these metrics rank second in program history for single-game marks.
Lena Cox scored a career-high four goals to lead the Penguins' scoring effort while Ava Kreutzer delivered her first collegiate hat trick. Brooke Peck and Genna Cooke also found the back of the net multiple times, each scoring two goals. Grace Rund and Ally Garrett accounted for the Penguins' other two goals.
Madison Maciag led the Penguins in assists with two while Katie Grottenthaler and Peck each made one. Leading YSU in draw controls was Grottenthaler with five while Mia Stahl collected four.
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 host George Washington at Farmers National Bank Field on Wednesday. First draw is set for noon.
For news and updates throughout the 2024 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
