Youngstown, Ohio – The Youngstown State Women's Lacrosse team dropped a hard-fought 14-12 battle against Old Dominion on Sunday afternoon inside WATTS.

Claire Baenziger tied a career-high with four goals to lead the Penguins, while Ava Kreutzer also secured a hat trick as she netted three goals. Maya Griffin added two goals, while Molly Brooks scored her first-career goal, and Mia Yuris also scored.

Brooke Harper had five saves in the cage for the Penguins.

The Monarchs jumped out to an early lead to put pressure on the Penguins in the first quarter, taking a 3-0 lead at the 7:15 mark of the opening frame. The Penguins' offense started to produce during the final six minutes of the quarter, as Claire Baenziger scored on a free-position attempt with 5:48 remaining, and Ava Kreutzer cut the lead to one with 2:02 left in the quarter.

ODU added a goal towards the end of the opening quarter and scored the first goal of the second quarter before Kreutzer added her second goal of the day with 9:20 left in the first half. The Monarchs rattled off three straight goals to take a six-goal lead until the late stages of the second quarter before Maya Griffin netted her lone goal of the day with 40 seconds left as ODU took an 8-4 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Old Dominion picked up where they left off to begin the third quarter, extending their lead to 10-4 with 12:26 left in the quarter. That is when the Penguins' offense went on their best stretch of the opening weekend. YSU netted five consecutive goals in a span of five minutes, as Claire Baenziger scored at the 11:39 mark of the quarter to begin the run, followed by Mia Yuris (9:15), Ava Kreutzer (7:40), Maya Griffin (7:10), and the run was capped off by Molly Brooks' first-career goal with 4:26 left in the quarter to cut the lead to 10-9. That is where the score stood heading into the final frame.

ODU found their rhythm once again offensively, scoring the first three goals of the quarter to push the lead to 13-9. Sami Drew scored her first goal of the season with 10:05 remaining, followed by an ODU goal at the 7:41 mark. YSU scored the final two goals of the game, both by Baenziger, as the final score was 14-12 Monarchs.

The Monarchs outshot YSU, 21-18. ODU won the shooting battle in three of the four quarters, except for the third, when YSU won 10-4.

The Penguins will be back in action next Sunday, February 15th, when they welcome George Mason to the WATTS. First draw is set for Noon.

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