In recent years past, Youngstown State would tote out a soccer team that was not very competitive.  The program, which has only been in operation since 1996, has never had a season with more than six wins in a single season.  Head Coach, Will Lemke (above), has things going in the right direction.  With an unusual mix of experience and youth – and not much in between, the Penguins 2011 version for soccer has been competitive and played respectably.

The past was so rough that YSU has never posted a victory against conference foes Wright State, Milwaukee, or Valparaiso.  Going into Wednesday’s game against Detroit, the Penguins hold a record of 3-6-2, but three of their losses are by a single goal and they are 1-0-2 in games that go into overtime.  The biggest difference showing positive progress would have to be the scores.  Comb through the archives and you will see plenty of annual 6-0 losses each season.  This group is far more competitive and seem to be in every game.

“We are in a situation where we are trying to teach this team to win”, commented Lemke.  “We have an issue with physicality to start a game and then we bump it up as we go.  We are looking for consistency from the upperclassmen and applying what we learn into every game.”

“We are playing a vastly more difficult schedule than we have in the past”, noted the coach.  “We are playing competitively and it is a painfully slow, step-by-step process where these players are learning to win at this level.”

Freshman Jade Flory leads the team with seven goals.  Flory is one of eight freshmen on the 2011 roster.  The program has three seniors who have contributed. Kelsey Kempton, Nicole Kline, and Geneva Strelka will play their final six games for the Penguins to close out the season.  Lemke is optimistic about all of the experience he will return next season, knowing that as Freshmen, the eight are gaining valuable experience toward turning the program around.

“We look at film, we look at the positives.  We have had large segments in games where we have outplayed teams”, said Lemke.

“One thing this team does well is a phenomenal job with rebounding from a loss.  Whenever we have had a bad game, we seem to come right back with a good game.  We are very young, but we are starting to gain experience and we have unselfish players who are showing younger players what they need to do to be successful at this level”.