Youngstown State University

Liza Oakley, an energetic and passionate young coach, will enter her second season as the Penguins' head coach in 2027.

During her first year with the program, YSU won a pair of Mid-American Conference contests and was in contention for the conference tournament until the final weekend. In MAC play, the Guins defeated Robert Morris and Detroit Mercy while beating Duquesne for the first time in program history with a thrilling come-from-behind 13-11 triumph. 

Mackenzie Flannigan capped off her historic season with a First Team All-MAC nod, becoming just the fifth player in program history to be named first team all-conference. Flannigan set the single-season caused turnovers record during the 2026 campaign.

Oaklay was named to lead the Penguins women's lacrosse program in July 2025 and hit the ground running to prepare for the fall of 2025.

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

Oakley spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Butler, where she served as the defensive coordinator and helped mentor two second-team All-Big East honorees.
 
She also coached the defense and goalies at Fresno State during the 2021 season, and she was part of a Bulldogs squad that advanced to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship game for the first time, despite a roster of only 18 student-athletes. Fresno State led the MPSF in caused turnovers and ground balls, and the Bulldogs’ first-year starting goalie was ranked fourth nationally in saves per game at season’s end.
 
Oakley coached the MPSF Rookie of the Year, four All-MPSF honorees, and four MPSF All-Tournament Team honorees during her season in Fresno.
 
Oakley’s coaching career began in June of 2018 as a graduate assistant at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia. She served as the offensive and draw team coordinator during the 2018-19 season and then oversaw the defense and draw unit in 2019-20. Oakley coached two All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections in each of her two seasons.
 
At Lynchburg, Oakley also coordinated the team’s travel, fundraising, and academic programs, all while earning her MBA.
 
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
 
Oakley also has coaching experience with Valley Select Lacrosse and Blue Ridge Lacrosse Club in Virginia, and with Dodgers Lacrosse in Hartford, Conn.