By Zach Flesch / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University lacrosse team rounded out its five-game home stand at the Watson and Tressel Training Site, then hit the road for three contests. The Penguins earned four-straight wins after a 1-3 start to the season.
The win streak started against Butler University at the Watson and Tressel Training Site on Feb. 28, with a 15-10 victory over the Bulldogs.
Sophomore Katie Grottenthaler led the way offensively with three goals, while sophomore Grace Rund, junior Ally Garrett, sophomores Brooke Peck and Ava Kreutzer and freshman Sami Drew recorded multiple goal performances.
Sophomores Lena Cox and Genna Cooke scored the other goals for YSU, while Cox added three assists for a team-high four points.
The eight goals by the Penguins in the fourth quarter tied a program record for most goals scored in a single quarter — a feat that was last achieved in the third quarter of the Penguins victory over St. Francis University on Feb. 16.
The Penguins returned to action March 3 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, against Wofford University and recorded their second-consecutive win.
The offense shared the scoring production as four different players had multi-goal performances.
Grottenthaler and Cox each netted four goals, while Kreutzer secured her second hat trick of the season. The final multi-goal scorer was Rund, with two goals for the second-consecutive game.
Wofford outshot YSU during the game, 28-25, but the difference was the efficiency by the ’Guins. 22 of their 25 shots were on goal, while just 14 of Wofford’s 28 shot attempts were on the net. The Penguins 22 draw controls during the game tied a season-high.
After the Penguins’ second win in a row, they upheld their win streak against Gardner-Webb University on March 6, in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
Grottenthaler continued her offensive prowess, as she scored a career-high six goals. Over the last three games, she’s recorded a hat trick and scored 13 goals.
Freshman Claire Baenziger added three goals for the Penguins, while Cox and Kreutzer each scored two.
Lastly, the Penguins wrapped up their road trip March 8 with a matchup against Big South Conference opponent, Radford University.
The lacrosse team finished up nonconference play, as it defeated the Highlanders, 18-8.
The victory marks the fourth-consecutive win for Youngstown State, which ties the second-longest win streak in program history. The Penguins 5-3 record also ties the program’s best start through eight games in program history, which occurred during the 2022 season.
Seven different Penguins scored multiple goals, led by Grottenthaler, who scored three. This marks four-straight games in which Grottenthaler recorded a hat trick — she’s the first Penguin to achieve the feat since former Penguin Ali Korin did so in 2023.
In an interview with ysusports.com after the game, Head Coach Rob Harris said he commended the athletes for playing to their potential.
“This was a great way to finish a great week. Players came out fired up and were able to control the game from the beginning and worked hard not to give that up,” Harris said. “From the draw team to offense and defense, everyone played up to their abilities and that’s what we want to see.”
YSU will return home to begin Mid-American Conference play at 12 p.m. March 16 against the University of Akron at Farmers National Bank Field.