Central Michigan Edges Youngstown State 7-6 in Women’s Lacrosse

Central Michigan University women’s lacrosse defeated Youngstown State 7-6 in a Mid-American Conference matchup on April 11, 2026. The game took place at Farmers National Bank Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio.

The victory marked Central Michigan’s first win since a previous home victory over Detroit Mercy. The result also extended the Chippewas’ winning streak against the Penguins, as Central Michigan has not lost to the Ohio-based team since 2022.

First-Half Dominance and Defensive Effort

Central Michigan established an early lead, holding Youngstown State scoreless for the first 25-plus minutes of the contest. The Chippewas entered halftime with a 5-2 advantage.

Anna Farrar contributed a first-half hat trick, her fourth of the season, including a goal in the final seconds of the first half. Mia Bradley and Elyse DeFrank each scored once to complete the first-half scoring for Central Michigan.

The defensive performance was led by Ava Regitz, who tied the program’s single-game record with six caused turnovers. Five of those takeaways occurred before halftime. Regitz’s performance matched a record previously held alone by Hailie Moore since April 26, 2023.

Senior goalkeeper Leila Kahler recorded 10 saves and a .625 save percentage, which represented a career-high for a single game. This marked Kahler’s fifth double-digit save performance of the season.

Youngstown State’s Second-Half Comeback

Youngstown State mounted a significant second-half effort to close the gap. Junior midfielder Mia Yuris recorded a hat trick during the game as the Penguins attempted to erase the deficit.

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The Penguins tied the game with less than seven minutes remaining in the contest. Other scoring contributions for Youngstown State included goals from freshman attacker Molly Brooks.

Statistically, Youngstown State held the advantage in shot volume, recording 27 total shots compared to 18 for Central Michigan. Of the Penguins’ attempts, 14 were on goal.

Coaching Perspectives

Central Michigan head coach Katie Vahle expressed pride in the team’s ability to secure the narrow win despite acknowledging areas for improvement.

I thought we played with a lot of passion, I think there’s definitely more things that, of course, we could clean up, I think we could have played a lot better than we did, but I’m super proud that we were able to pull it out in the end.

Katie Vahle

Vahle also highlighted the chemistry and trust within the defensive unit, noting that the team’s ability to work together and read one another had been impactful.

The Chippewas’ defense finished the game with 21 turnovers, an increase of 11 turnovers over their previous game against Southern California.