Youngstown State University
Eastern Michigan
Lacrosse Hosts Eastern Michigan on Senior Day Sunday
4/19/2024 1:16:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Youngstown State lacrosse team is set to host Mid-American Conference opponent Eastern Michigan in its final home game of the 2024 season on Sunday. The Penguins will honor six seniors prior to the contest: Alexa Beyer, Jocelyn Fike, Paige Jankowski, Aryn Lohrey, Grace Manser, and Callie Vaudry. First draw at Farmers National Bank Field is set for noon while senior day recognitions will take place at 11 a.m.
Gameday Info
YSU vs. Eastern Michigan
Scouting Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is currently second in Mid-American Conference standings with a 3-1 MAC record and 6-7 overall record. The Eagles have defeated Akron, 11-10, Kent State, 12-11, and Detroit Mercy, 12-9 in conference play. EMU was defeated by Central Michigan, 16-7 on April 14. The Eagles also earned victories over Howard, Delaware State, and Butler in non-conference play.
Mackenzie Blackwell leads the Eagles in scoring by a large margin with 45 goals on the year, also making three assists for 48 points. She also has collected the most draw controls with 68. Avery Schwab delivered 19 assists on the year to lead EMU. Sydney Lawrence has caused the most turnovers with 16. At goal, Maddie Porter has played the majority of the minutes making 109 saves while giving up 102 goals for a .472 save percentage. Porter also leads the team in ground balls with 55.
The Eagles are under the direction of second-year head coach Sara Tisdale, who coached the program in its inaugural season in 2023. EMU finished 2-14 overall and 1-7 in the MAC in 2023.
Penguins vs. Eagles Series History
YSU defeated the Eagles 17-15 on April 8, 2023 to own a 1-0 advantage in series history. The matchup marked the first in program history between the teams with 2023 being Eastern Michigan's inaugural season
Brick Wall Borkowski
Freshman goalie Paige Borkowski currently ranks third in all of Division I in saves per game, averaging 11.36 saves a contest. Borkowski eclipsed the 100-goal mark just nine games into the season with 159 saves so far in 2024. 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 also ranks third in all of Division I in total saves (159).
Borkowski has recorded double-digit saves in nine of the Penguins' 14 games and currently holds a .394 save percentage. Borkowski has also grabbed 29 ground balls on the year.
Borkowski is nine saves shy of setting the Penguins' single-season saves record. Former Penguin Savannah Clarke currently holds the record of 167 saves set in 2022.
By The Numbers
- Freshman Lena Cox leads the Penguins in goals (24), assists (8), and points (32). 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.
- Both Ava Kreutzer and Ally Garrett have scored 20 goals on the year. Kreutzer ranks second in points with 26, adding six assists to her 20 goals. Kreutzer has recorded an impressive shot percentage with 20 goals on 36 shots (.556). 32 of her 36 shots have been on goal (.889).
- Three other Penguins have also scored in double-digits: Katie Grottenthaler (14), Grace Rund (13), and Genna Cooke (11).
- A trio of Penguins have scored seven goals on the season: Jade Shearer, Brooke Peck, and Emma Hoffman. Three other Penguins have found the back of the net: Callie Vaudry (2), Molly Sheridan (2), and Aryn Lohrey (2)
- Kayla Stecker has led the Penguins defensively this season. Stecker has caused 25 turnovers, which ranks second in a single season in program history. In addition, Kayla has grabbed 31 ground balls. 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 YSU in draw controls with 37 while Mia Stahl and Katie Grottenthaler have each collected 22.
Conference Comparisons
- Youngstown State leads the MAC by a large margin in shots percentage with 129 of 305 shots finding the back of the net (.423).
- Lena Cox ranks eighth in the MAC in point per game (2.29) and ninth in goals per game (1.71). In addition, she ranks ninth in shots per game, averaging four.
- Kayla Stecker ranks second in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.79. Stecker also ranks eighth in ground balls per game with a 2.21 average.
- Paige Borkowski leads the MAC in saves per game, averaging 11.36. She also ranks ninth in ground balls per game with a 2.07 average.
Last Time Out
The Penguins moved to 0-14 overall and 0-4 in the MAC with a 17-6 loss to Robert Morris on Sunday.
The Colonials outscored the Penguins 10-2 in the second half to come away with the victory.
YSU was within one goal of the Colonials, 7-6, at the 10:32 mark of the third quarter, but the Colonials scored 10 unanswered goals to come away with the victory.
Freshmen Katie Grottenthaler and Lena Cox led the Penguins, each scoring two goals apiece. Grace Rund and Emma Hoffman each scored once while Ava Kreutzer delivered an assist.
Freshman goalie Paige Borkowski delivered double-digit saves for the ninth game this season, making 11. Defensively, Kayla Stecker grabbed three ground balls and caused three turnovers while Dany Emler delivered two of each.
Freshman Genna Cooke recorded a career-high five draw controls in the matchup.
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 close out the season with a road contest against Akron on Sunday, April 28. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
For news and updates throughout the 2024 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
