Youngstown State University
Akron
Lacrosse Set for Season Finale at Akron on Sunday
4/26/2024 12:02:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Youngstown State lacrosse team will close out its 2024 season with a Mid-American Conference contest at Akron on Sunday. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
Gameday Info
YSU at Akron
- When: Sunday, April 28 | 1 p.m.
- Where: InfoCision Stadium | Akron, Ohio
- Watch: Zips Digital Network
- Stats: LiveStats
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Scouting Akron
Akron is currently ranked sixth in the MAC with a 1-4 conference record. Overall, the Zips own a 6-9 record this season. In MAC play, Akron defeated Detroit Mercy, 11-10, but fell to Robert Morris, 10-9, Eastern Michigan, 11-10, Kent State, 18-12, and Central Michigan, 11-7. During non-conference play, the Zips defeated St. Bonaventure, Xavier, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, and Radford.
Sienna Hinchcliffe and Noella Boyd have led the Zips in scoring this season. Hinchcliffe has scored 32 goals on the year with 12 assists for a team-leading 44 points while Boyd has delivered 29 goals and 12 assists for 41 points. Boyd leads Akron's draw control effort with 67 on the year while Katie Baumer has caused the most turnovers with 23.
At goal, Hannah Sanders has recorded the majority of the minutes, making 89 saves while giving up 138 goals for a .392 save percentage. Sanders also leads the team in ground balls with 36.
Akron is under the direction of first-year head coach Elaine Jones who joined the program in June of 2023. Jones formerly coached UIndy, Longwood, and UC Davis in her 22 seasons of prior head coaching experience.
Penguins vs. Zips Series History
YSU owns the series advantage over Akron, 4-2. The Penguins have swept the contests against the Zips the last two seasons earning two victories in 2023 and two in 2022 but fell to the Zips twice in 2021. Most recently, YSU defeated Akron 18-7 on April 15, 2023.
Brick Wall Borkowski
Freshman goalie Paige Borkowski currently ranks third in all of Division I in saves per game, averaging 11.33 saves a contest. In addition, she ranks third in total saves with 170 on the set.
Her 170 saves this year sit atop of the record book for saves in a single season by a Penguin. She set the record with 11 saves against Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Borkowski has recorded double-digit saves in 10 of the Penguins' 15 games and currently holds a .393 save percentage. Borkowski has also grabbed 30 ground balls on the year.
Borkowski also set YSU's single-game saves record with 20 against Stetson, which is tied for the fourth-most saves in a game by any Division I goalie this season.
By The Numbers
- Freshman Lena Cox leads the Penguins in goals (25), assists (10), and points (35). 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.
- Ally Garrett is second on the team in goals with 21 while Ava Kreutzer has scored 20 goals on the year. Kreutzer also tallied six assists to rank second with 26 points.
- Three other Penguins have also scored in double-digits: Katie Grottenthaler (16), Grace Rund (15), and Genna Cooke (12).
- Also scoring multiple goals this season are Jade Shearer (8), Brooke Peck (8), Emma Hoffman (7), Callue Vaudry (4), 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 34 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 38 while Katie Grottenthaler has collected 25 and Mia Stahl 22.
Conference Comparisons
- Youngstown State leads the MAC by a large margin in shots percentage with 140 of 332 shots finding the back of the net (.422).
- Lena Cox ranks ninth in the MAC in points per game (2.33) and tenth in goals per game (1.67). In addition, she ranks tenth in shots per game, averaging four.
- Kayla Stecker ranks second in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.67. Stecker also ranks seventh in ground balls per game with a 2.27 average.
- Paige Borkowski ranks second in the MAC in saves per game, averaging 11.33. She also ranks ninth in ground balls per game with a 2.00 average.
Last Time Out
The Penguins moved to 0-15 overall and 0-5 in the MAC with a 18-11 loss to Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
Paige Borkowski set the program's single-season saves record in the contest with 11 saves on the day and 170 on the season.
A trio of Penguins delivered multi-goal outings with Callie Vaudry, Katie Grottenthaler, and Grace Rund each scoring twice. Also finding the back of the net was Ally Garrett, Lena Cox, Brooke Peck, Genna Cooke, and Jade Shearer. Cox led the Penguins with two assists for three points on the day. Grottenthaler collected the most draw controls with three.
Both Kayla Stecker and Molly Sheridan grabbed three ground balls while Stecker also collected two draw controls. Grace Manser led the team in caused turnovers with two.
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.
For news and updates throughout the 2024 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on Twitter.
