The Youngstown State Women's Lacrosse is set to open Mid-American Conference play this Saturday when they welcome the UMass Minutewomen to Farmers National Bank Field. The opening draw is set for noon. The game will be broadcast on the Youngstown State Penguins YouTube channel.

Last Time Out

The Penguins fell to Marquette, 19-9, last Friday at Farmers National Bank Field.

Claire Baenziger continued her stellar start to the season as she scored a career-high five goals, marking her second hat trick of the season. Ally Garrett was the lone other Penguin to score multiple goals, tying a season-high with two.

Mary Gasper notched the first two assists of her collegiate career, while Alexis Kruetzer and Molly Brooks also set up YSU goals.

Mackenzie Flannigan tied a career-high with six ground ball recoveries for the 'Guins while also tying a season-high with three caused turnovers to lead the Penguins defensively. Skylar Pigrom and Kendyll Jerry also caused two turnovers each.

Both Brooke Harper and Alyssa Edwards saw time in the cage, with Edwards playing 52:24 and securing six saves.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 7-1 lead within the first 10 minutes of the contest and never looked back. YSU cut the lead to 9-4 with 10:55 left in the first half, marking the closest that they would get for the remainder of the game. Marquette would go on a stretch of scoring five straight goals that pushed their lead to 14-4 with 12:23 remaining in the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Marquette outshot the Penguins on the afternoon, 31-16, including a 19-7 advantage in the first half. MU would also control the overall ground ball recoveries, 25-20.

By The Numbers

• Claire Baenziger has a team-high 14 goals through five games, followed by Ava Kreutzer with seven, and Maya Griffin with six. Baenziger also has a team-high 24 draw controls.
• Of the 45 goals scored by the Penguins this season, only 14 of the goals have come off assists. Ava Kreutzer leads the 'Guins with three assists.
• The Penguins have shot just 41% (11-for-27) on free-position attempts.
• Mackenzie Flannigan has corralled a team-high 18 ground balls, including a season-high six ground balls vs. Marquette last Friday. She also leads the team in caused turnovers with 10. She has had a season-high three CT twice, including last time out vs. Marquette.
• Brooke Harper and Alyssa Edwards have each appeared in at least four games this season in the cage. Harper currently has a team-high 24 saves (29% save percentage), while Edwards has 23 saves (35% save percentage).

Flannigan Named MAC Defensive Player of the Week

Junior Mackenzie Flannigan took home the first weekly MAC award of the season for the Penguins this week as she was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Thursday.

During last Friday's game vs. Marquette, she set a season-high and tied a career-high with six ground balls vs. the Golden Eagles, while also tying season-highs in caused turnovers (three) and draw controls (five).

She has had at least five ground balls in two games, at least three caused turnovers twice, and she notched her season-high in draw controls for the second consecutive game.

This marked the first time that she has received this honor during her career, and she is the first 'Guin to win MAC Defensive Player of the Week since Tori Bustamante received the honor on Apr. 29, 2025.

Strong Start for CB

Claire Baenziger has started her sophomore season strongly through the first six games, netting a team-high 14 goals. Her 2.33 goals-per-game average currently ranks sixth in the MAC.

She had a stellar performance during last Friday's contest vs. Marquette as she netted a career-high five goals.

She has also accounted for 24 of YSU's 69 draw controls, which has widely eclipsed her 2025 total of eight. Her eight draw controls against Bucknell in the season-opener on Feb. 6 marked a new career-high. She is one of just two players on the roster that have controlled at least 10 draws this season.

Hoping For Better Farmers' Luck in 2026

Due to inclement weather at unfortunate times last season, the Penguins were only able to play one of eight home games outdoors at Farmers National Bank Field.

The 'Guins will luckily eclipse that mark with Saturday's contest, marking its second home game outdoors this season after last week's contest vs. Marquette was also played outdoors.

The last home win at Farmers for YSU was on Apr. 15, 2023, an 18-5 victory over Akron.

Freshmen Producing in a Big Way

The freshmen class for the 'Guins has made an impact during the early stages of the 2026 season, combining for 10 goals.

Maya Griffin leads the way for the class with six goals, while Molly Brooks and Lilly Mattucci have each scored twice.

Breakout Game for Bogash

Junior Gwen Bogash broke out for a three-goal output vs. UMBC on Feb. 25 after scoring just one goal in 2025.

This marked her first multi-goal outing since Apr. 10, 2024, when she played for Notre Dame College, and her first hat trick since Mar. 30, 2024. 

Previewing UMass

The Minutewomen enter Saturday's matchup winners of four of their last five games, boasting a 5-2 overall record.

UMass outlasted Dartmouth, 17-14, in a high-scoring affair on Tuesday. The Minutewomen had three players net four goals, led by Kassidy Morris, who had seven total points, as well as Dylan Lyons and Ava Connaughton.

After holding an 8-7 lead through the first 20 minutes, the Minutewomen catapulted their lead with a 5-0 run, holding an advantage of at least three goals in their favor for the final 34 minutes.

UMass currently leads the MAC in goals-per-game (14.00) and goal-margin-per-game (+4.1), while also ranking second in draw controls (97).

Kassidy Morris is tied for the conference lead in points-per-game (4.86), while Katie Peterson leads the MAC in assists-per-game (2.00).

UMass ranks second nationally in fouls-per-game, averaging just over two per contest.

The Minutewomen spent the previous 27 seasons as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and had dominated the league during its final 16 seasons, winning at least the regular season or tournament titles in each of those seasons. They went 116-1 against A-10 opponents over their last 14 full seasons (no conference games in 2020 due to COVID-19) and won their last 55 games against conference opponents from Apr. 28, 2018, to Apr. 26, 2026. The last conference loss for the Minutewomen was a 17-16 overtime setback vs. VCU on Apr. 22, 2018.

UMass has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2009.

Series History

This will be the first meeting between YSU and UMass.

A Win vs. UMass Would…

• Be YSU's first win in program history vs. UMass
• Improve YSU's record to 2-4 in MAC openers
• Give YSU a conference record of over .500 for the first time since Apr. 29, 2023 (4-3)
• Be YSU's first win at Farmers National Bank Field since Apr. 15, 2023
• Be Head Coach Liza Oakley's first win at YSU

Preseason Notes

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 begin a three-game road trip when they travel to Robert Morris next Thursday. The opening draw is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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