Saint Francis University women's soccer will host Youngstown State to open the 2023 regular season. The Red Flash will look to build upon the improvements made last season and remain competitive in the Northeast Conference. The series between the two sides began on Oct. 30, 1996 with a 3-1 Saint Francis win in Loretto. The Red Flash lead the all-time series against the Penguins 7-3-2.
It will be the first time since 2016 the team will open a campaign in Loretto and the 16th time in program history. The team has won two of its last three season openers that started at home.
The Penguins enter the 2023 season hoping to build upon their run to the Horizon League Championships Final, where they lost to UW-Milwaukee 1-0. Youngstown State finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 9-8-3, going 5-3-2 in the Horizon League.
Youngstown State enters this season with higher expectations than their fifth-place regular season finish in the Horizon League last year. The Penguins return a large portion of their starters in 2023, including their four top scorers from last season.
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2023
Saint Francis has played scrimmages against Bucknell, Akron, and Mount St. Mary's in the build-up to the 2023 season and will look to build upon those performances. Head Coach Sara Butler and Assistant Coach Micah Fitz return for their second year in Loretto with a squad full of familiar faces. Saint Francis is bringing back nine starters from the 2022 team, six of which were their most productive offensive players.
Junior defender Tomke Dziesiaty and junior midfielder/forward Lauren Pyle are coming off impressive sophomore seasons. Dziesiaty led the Red Flash in points and goals, earning an All-NEC first team selection in the process, while Pyle led the NEC in assists with six over the campaign. Sophomore midfielder/forward Raine Korpics enters her second season in Loretto after a promising rookie season that saw her earn a NEC All-Rookie team selection.
Sarah McConnon returns for a third season in net for the Red Flash. McConnon made 82 saves last season and posted a career best 1.68 goals against average. Saint Francis brings back 15 players who saw action last season.
The Red Flash have several newcomers arriving this season. Makenzie Van Arsdale, Riley Cerqua, Caterina Schiavo, Cameron Collins, Layla Flores, Sophia Filipowski, and Mercedez Paino are all looking to contribute to the squad.
LAST TIME WE MET
The last time Saint Francis and Youngstown State played in a regular season matchup was on Sep. 8, 2019 in a game that the Penguins won 3-2. Aubrey Suydam and Corinne Renninger both found the back of the net, while Julia Hernan made two saves for the Red Flash.
UP NEXT
The Red Flash will hit the road for the first time to square off against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 1 pm at Dick Dlesk Stadium in Morgantown W.Va.
