Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State
Wednesday, March 3 | 5 p.m.
The Bubble | Cleveland, Ohio
Presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine
Free Kicks
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's soccer team had a two-game winning streak snapped last week in a 3-2 road setback against Purdue Fort Wayne. Christina Trickett converted a first-half penalty kick for her first tally of the year while Maddie Young stayed red-hot with a second-half marker, but a two-goal deficit late in the match proved to be too much to overcome. Both of the Vikes' wins thus far have come in overtime with seniors Ali Martin and Elena Gutlove recording golden goals. Cleveland State sits at an even 2-2-0 on the young campaign, placing them third in the #HLWSOC standings.
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD...
Move the Vikings to 2-0 on the season at home while avenging last year's 1-0 defeat against Youngstown State. Cleveland State would also move to 7-3-0 in the all-time series between the two sides and notch its fifth win over its last six matchups with the Penguins.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Youngstown State (0-3-0) is searching for its first Horizon League win after dropping contests against Oakland, Detroit Mercy and UIC, who shut out the Penguins 2-0 last week. Marcella Sizer is responsible for both of Youngstown State's goals while Abriana Rondin has the lone assist. Goalkeeper Kate McEachern has made a pair of starts, collecting 11 saves en route to a .733 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average.
LEADING THE WAY
Maddie Young has been the offensive catalyst through four matches, factoring in on five of Cleveland State's seven goals with three tallies of her own to go with a pair of assists. Her nine shots against Purdue Fort Wayne are tied for the second-highest single-game shot toal by a player in program history and her two-assist outing against Oakland tied for second-most helpers in a match, a feat that has been accomplished 16 times since the program was founded in 2004.
DYNAMIC DUO
Between Elena Gutlove and Maddie Young, the Vikings offense is in good hands. Young paces the Horizon League in scoring with eight points on the year and is tied for the lead in goals (three). Meanwhile, Gutlove is tied for fourth with five points thanks to a pair of goals and an assist. Both players have been aggressive as Young sits atop the conference in shots (18) while Gutlove ranks second (17).
RISING IN THE HORIZON
Cleveland State is first in the Horizon League in shots (62) and shots on goal (35). The Vikes also lead the conference in corners (29), rank second in goals (seven) and sit third in assists (eight). As a team, Cleveland State is outshooting the opposition 33-19 after the opening half, including 5-1 in overtime periods.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Multiple freshmen have emerged as key contributors in the earlygoings with Kathryn Ramicone, Maria Bashardoust and Bella Ceepo being tabbed as starters over the Vikings' opening four matches and Maia Ransom making an appearance in every game while logging her first start on Feb. 10. Ramicone is tied for the #HLWSOC lead with three assists while Bashardoust picked up her first point with the helper on Elena Gutlove's game-winning goal against Wright State.
PATROLLING THE NET
Senior keeper Stevie Holbrook has made 17 saves en route to a 2-2-0 mark on the season while playing more minutes (382:47) than any other Horizon League goalkeeper. Holbrook's 17 saves are good for fourth-most in the circuit and she ranks eighth in saves per game (4.25).
