The Youngstown State women's lacrosse program hits the road for the first time this season as they travel east to the state of New Jersey for a matchup with the Monmouth Hawks. The opening draw is scheduled for 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on FloCollege as well as SNY.

Last Time Out

The Penguins fell to 0-3 with a 17-6 loss to George Mason. The Patriots jumped on YSU early, leading 8-2 at the half. The colonials used a seven-goal run that concluded with their lead being pushed to 9-2 after the game was tied halfway through the first quarter. Before YSU eventually scored to end a 25-minute goal drought.

Claire Baenziger continued her strong offensive start to the season as she had two team-high goals and tied for the team lead with three draw controls.

Mackenzie Flannigan led the Penguins defensively as she had a team-high five ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Alyssa Edwards started her first game of the season in the cage, saving eight shots.

By The Numbers

• Claire Baenziger has a team-high eight goals through three games, which is double the amount of the next highest goal total (Kreutzer, Griffin each have four). Baenziger also has a team-high 16 draw controls.
• Out of the 24 goals scored by the Penguins to begin the campaign, only six of the goals have come off assists. Gwen Bogash is the lone Penguin with more than one assist thus far, as she leads the team with two.
• The Penguins have shot just 50% (8-for-16) on free-position attempts.
• Mackenzie Flannigan has played a crucial role defensively during the early stages of her junior campaign, leading YSU in caused turnovers (six) and ground balls (eight). Her three CT in the season-opening game vs. Bucknell on Feb. 6 tied her second-highest total as a Penguin in a single game. Her five ground balls last Sunday vs. George Mason were the second-most she has had in a single game.
• Brooke Harper started the first two games of the season in the cage, saving 13 shots (28% save percentage), while Alyssa Edwards saved eight shots in her first appearance as a Penguin last Sunday.

Strong Start for CB

Claire Baenziger has started her sophomore season strongly through the first two games, netting a team-high eight goals. Her performance vs. Old Dominion on Feb. 8 was especially impressive, as she tied a career-high with four goals.

She also controlled 16 of YSU's 37 draw controls, which has already eclipsed her 2025 total of eight. Her eight draw controls against Bucknell in the season-opener on Feb. 6 marked a new career-high.

Previewing Monmouth

The Hawks enter Sunday's matchup with a 3-1 record, dropping their first game to Big Ten opponent, Rutgers, 20-5 on Wednesday.  This game marked the first time this season that Monmouth scored less than 13 goals.

Rutgers jumped on Monmouth early, netting the game's first goal in the opening minute. The Scarlet Knights eventually jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the two-minute mark of the first quarter, before Monmouth scored their first goal. Rutgers outscored Monmouth 6-2 in the second quarter to take a 13-2 lead into the locker room at halftime and never looked back.

Lauren Rismani has been phenomenal at facilitating the ball through the early stages of the season as she has accounted for 14 of the team's 28 assists, while also accumulating a team-high 19 points. Shea Berigan is the only Hawk who has reached double-digit goals, netting 10.

Series History

This will not only be the first meeting between YSU and Monmouth, but also the first game that YSU has played in the state of New Jersey in program history.

YSU is 0-4 all-time against members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, having dropped two games to Canisius and falling twice to Niagara.

The Penguins' last game against a MAAC team was a 15-3 defeat at the hands of Canisius on Mar. 19, 2023.

A Win vs. Monmouth Would…

• Be YSU's first win in program history vs. Monmouth
• Be YSU's first win in the state of New Jersey
• Be YSU's first win vs. a member of the MAAC
• Be Head Coach Liza Oakley's first win at YSU

Oakley Takes Over as Fifth Head Coach in Program History

Liza Oakley was officially named the fifth Youngstown State Women's Lacrosse Head Coach in program history on July 9, 2025.

A native of West Hartford, Conn., Oakley spent the past three seasons as the top assistant at Bucknell. Oakley, formerly a standout defender at Mount St. Mary's, had previous coaching stops at Butler, Fresno State, and Lynchburg (Va.).

At Bucknell, Oakley served as the team's recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator, among other duties, during her three seasons under Head Coach Jackie Dando.

Oakley was a four-year letterwinner as a defender and a three-time Northeast Conference All-Academic selection at Mount St. Mary's. As a senior in 2018, she helped her team rank third in Division I in scoring defense with the Mountaineers.

Baenziger and McGrath Return After Stellar Freshman Campaigns

Youngstown State is pleased to return a duo of 2025 MAC All-Freshman Team selections, Claire Baenziger and Meghan McGrath, for their sophomore seasons.

Baenziger ranked fifth on the Penguins in ground balls last season with 20, and she was also sixth on the team in goals with 17. She corralled at least three ground balls three times, including a season-high four ground balls vs. Robert Morris on Mar. 29, 2025.

McGrath started in all 15 games for YSU during her freshman season on defense, ranking in a tie for fifth on the team with 12 caused turnovers, while also scooping 14 ground balls.

Kreutzer Looks to Spearhead Offense in 2026

Attacker Ava Kreutzer returns for her third season with the Penguins in 2026.

She ranked second on the team in 2025 with 27 goals, while also ranking fourth on the team in total points with 28. Kreutzer had nine multi-goal outings, including a stretch of seven consecutive games from Feb. 22-Mar. 23, 2025. She netted a season-high three goals on four separate occasions.

Flannigan Building off Strong Sophomore Season

Mackenzie Flannigan opened eyes defensively last season in her first year with the Penguins after transferring from fellow MAC foe Kent State.

She ranked second on the team in both ground balls with 27 and caused turnovers with 22. Her 1.47 CT/G ranked fifth in the MAC, while her 22 total CT placed her in a tie for seventh in the conference.

Four Captains to Lead Both on the Field and in the Locker Room

Youngstown State Head Coach Liza Oakley dubbed Brooke Harper, Ava Kreutzer, Skylar Pigrom, and Mia Stahl as team captains ahead of the 2026 season.

Harper started 10 games in the cage last season, going 4-6 in her starts with a team-high 69 saves.

Kreutzer appeared in all 15 games in 2025, starting in 11. She totaled 28 points during the season with 27 goals and one assist. She also controlled 23 draws for the Penguins.

Pigrom appeared in 10 games defensively, corralling five ground balls and causing two turnovers.

Stahl was one of four players to start in all 15 games, controlling 12 draws and scooping nine ground balls.

Good Balance of Returners and Fresh Faces

The 2026 YSU roster will consist of 13 newcomers to combine with 19 returners from last season's bunch.

The coaching staff brought in 12 true freshmen, while also snagging Alyssa Edwards, a redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper who transferred from Towson.

New York State of Mind

This season's roster features a vast number of players from the state of New York. 39% of the Penguins' squad comes from The Empire State, or 13 out of 33 players.

'Guins Slated Seventh in the MAC Preseason Poll

Youngstown State was picked seventh in the 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced on Feb. 4.

2026 MAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes)

1. UMass (6)- 48 points

T2. Akron- 37 points

T2. Eastern Michigan (1)- 37 points

4. Robert Morris (1)- 34 points

5. Central Michigan- 28 points

6. Kent State- 19 points

7. Youngstown State- 12 points

8. Detroit Mercy- 9 points

Tournament Champion: UMass – 6; Eastern Michigan – 1; Robert Morris – 1

Up Next

The Penguins will remain on the road, traveling to UMBC for a Wednesday afternoon matchup. The opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m.

For news and updates throughout the 2026 women's lacrosse season, follow @YSUwlax on X.