Tuesday, February 11 | at Akron | Akron, Ohio | InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field | 3 p.m. | LIVE STATS | No Live Stream
Saturday, February 15 | Youngstown State | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 12 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO 
 
OPENING DRAW 
Saint Francis will open its 23rd season in program history at Akron on Tuesday and then will host Youngstown on Saturday for its home opener. This will be the head coaching debut for first-year head coach Morgan Gott at Akron and her home debut leading the team against Youngstown State.
 
The meeting against Akron will be the fifth meeting in the all-time series and the second tit in Ohio. The Red Flash leads the series with the Zips including taking the last two meetings and a 12-6 win in the inaugural matchup in 2020 in Ohio. It will be the second time the two teams will square off in the season opener after the Zips edged the Red Flash 8-7 in the 2021 lidlifter.
 
The tilt against Youngstown State will be the second battle in team history after the two teams opened the 2022 season in Ohio. The 2022 season opener was also the last time before this season the Red Flash opened a season at an indoor facility. This will be the Penguins first trip to Loretto holding a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.

FOR OPENERS 
Saint Francis will open the season on the road for the second-straight season and the 16th time in program history. The Red Flash are looking to win the season opener for the second time in team history after defeating Longwood at home on February 22, 2023. The squad is looking to open the season with a win on the road for the first time.
 
FOR OPENERS AT HOME
When Youngstown State comes to town, Saint Francis will be looking to open its home schedule with a win for the first-straight time and the eighth time in program history (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024). The Red Flash has won consecutive home openers three times in team history (2010-11, 2015-16, 2023-24), but a win against the Penguins would mark the first time the team has won three-straight home openers.

THE WORD ON THE ZIPS
Akron comes into the contest 0-1 after falling 12-11 in overtime at Duquesne on Saturday. Sienna Hinchcliffe paced the Zips against the Dukes with three goals and two assists, while Jaelyn Clinkscales had two tallies and an assist and Julia Mattingly added a pair of goals. Hannah Sanders made five saves.

LAST TIME WE MET THE ZIPS
Danielle Hernandez scored what proved to be the deciding goal with 11:42 left in the third quarter to lift Saint Francis past Akron on a snowy afternoon in Loretto on Marxch 3, 2023. Autumn McHenry registered two tallies and Julea Jamison scored for the red Flash. Jacqueline Glassey, Alexis Kiefer, Kellen Fletcher and Chloe Hererra posted the four goals for the Zips. Elyssa Enrique made nine saves for Saint Francis and Kylan Rhude had six stops for Akron.

THE WORD ON THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State, who plays at George Washington on Wednesday, comes into the week 0-1 after falling 14-13 to Lindenwood in overtime on Friday. Katie Grottenhaler and Brooke Peck both had four goals in the season opener, while Claire Baenziger registered a hat trick. Brooke Harper turned away seven shots.

LAST TIME WE MET THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State defeated Saint Francis 19-6 in the 2022 season opener on February 18, 2022 in Ohio. Lizzie Fisher and Autumn McHenry both registered two goals for the Red Flash. Erin Clark paced the Penguins with three goals and five assists, while Calandra-Ryan found the back of the net five times and Sydney Bumstead had three markers and an assist. Elyssa Enrique made nine saves for Saint Francis, while Savannah Clarke (six saves) and Mikaela Staranko (five saves) each played a half.

NEXT TIME OUT 
After the two games this week, Saint Francis will have a week off to prepare for an old friend in former head coach Tracy Coyne, who is her first season at Duquesne. The Red Flash and Dukes will battle on Saturday, February 22 in Pittsburgh. 

PRESEASON POLL
The Saint Francis women's lacrosse team has been tabbed to finish fifth, according to the Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason poll. LIU was selected as the unanimous preseason favorite, while Stonehill, Le Moyne, Wagner, Saint Francis, FDU, CCSU Delaware State, Mercyhurst, and Howard round out the 10-team poll. Mercyhurst is in its first year in the NEC.

A DAVID PUDDY HIGH-FIVE
Senior Nancy Alden is the only player on the roster to have a five-goal game with her five-tally performance at Kent State on March 13, 2024.

HATTIES 
Junior Julia Givens leads the team with eight career hat tricks, while senior Nancy Alden and junior Brooke Lacey each have three hat tricks in their career. Senior Christina Roncarati and junior Victoria DiRenno also have a three-goal performance in their career.

MILESTONE ALERT 
Senior Taylor Coughlin is seventh for career saves with 172. She can move into sixth place with 78 stops. Coming into the season, Coughlin is the program's all-time leader in goals against average (11.12).
 
Senior Chyler Espino is just outside the Top-10 in draw controls (78), caused turnovers (36) and ground balls (69). The senior needs five draws, 10 caused turnovers and 15 ground balls to join the Top-10 in each category. The senior had 10 draw controls against FDU on April 19, 2023 for the sixth-most in a single game in team history and the 13th time in program history it occurred.

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN 
Seniors Taylor Coughlin and Chyler Espino, and junior Brooke Lacey have been elected team captains for the 2025 season. Senior Victoria DiRenno, junior Julia Givens and Elizabeth Mahmud have been named to the Leadership Council.

RETURNING ALL-NEC PERFORMERS 
Senior Chyler Espino returns in 2025 for her senior season after being injured in the first game of the 2024 season at Oregon. Espino was an All-NEC first-team performer in her sophomore campaign. Junior Julia Givens was an All-NEC second-team recipient in 2024.

WELCOME TO THE LO' 
Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Morgan Gott has added 11 newcomers to the team in 2025. Sophomore Elizabeth Garcia, and freshmen Kayla Adam, Heather Delbone, Lani Filoon, Samantha Hewitt, Mackenzie Metzger, Sav Musto, Lily Robertson, Bella Tesche and Calyssa Yankow joined the Red Flash for the 2025 campaign. Garcia and Robertson transferred to Saint Francis for the spring semester. Gott also added assistant coach Craig Lowery to the team.
 
FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH 
Saint Francis has four players who hail from Canada: Seniors Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) and Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario), junior Mak Patten (Welland, Ontario), and freshman Sav Musto (Stouffville, Ontario). Both goalkeepers (Coughlin and Musto) are from Canada.

ABOUT THE COACH 
Head coach Morgan Gott is in her first season in Loretto after serving as an assistant coach for the last two seasons. In 2023, she helped the Red Flash has set a program record for overall wins (10), conference wins (5), longest winning streak (6) and clinched the program's first-ever NEC Tournament appearance. In the two seasons as an assistant coach, Gott helped the Red Flash to an 18-14 overall record and a 12-6 record in NEC play and the first two NEC Tournament appearances in program history.