BEAVER TOWNSHIP — While variations of lacrosse can be traced back to as early as the 12th century, the sport itself is relatively new to collegiate athletics.

The NCAA adopted a championship for its women’s teams in time for the 1981-82 school year while Youngstown State University executive director of athletics, Ron Strollo, oversaw the addition of a women’s lacrosse program a mere six years ago.

Every sport experiences its share of growing pains and Penguins’ first-year head coach, Liza Oakley, said she is here for the long haul, looking to build a formidable program and culture that consistently competes for a championship in the challenging Mid-American Conference.

“I was at a crossroads in my career but knew that I wanted to be a head coach,” Oakley, a West Hartford, Connecticut native and former standout defender at Mount St. Mary’s University told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “I had coached at Bucknell, Butler, Fresno State and the University of Lynchburg in Virginia so where I landed next, I wanted to make sure it was the best fit for me. I was just so impressed with the YSU athletic department as a whole and how much support they have for this program.

“They want us to be successful and give us all the resources possible to succeed. I found that out during my interview, but the players sealed the deal. They were positive and just the silver-lining outlook that they had. They wanted to be a big part of the program’s success, in particular the senior class. They were quite impressed throughout the process and wanted me to come to YSU.”

The Penguins are coming off a 19-9 loss suffered at the hands of Marquette last Friday, still looking for their first win of the season after six tries.

Of their 33 player roster, 23 are underclass players – they have 13 freshmen and 10 sophomores – with four juniors and six seniors providing much needed leadership.

“Our roster is both a strength and weakness,” Oakley said. “Over half the team are underclass players and such young, multiple minds can go either direction so we are trying to get them to understand, especially the freshman, what it means to be a college athlete, in particular a Division I student-athlete. While I know they are going to make mistakes, we are all learning and honestly, this whole group is learning.

“I told them at the beginning, I am new to you, going to teach you a lot of things that you don’t know and that’s all right. We are all freshmen this year but the added bonus is this senior class, who have been here for four of the six years that there has been a program. The younger players have leaned on them quite a bit as they have shown them what we are trying to do and accomplish in order to be successful, competitive, good teammates and all that good stuff that comes with a winning program. It is really exciting for the future, having all these young players as I get to coach them over the next four years until they graduate and see how they develop and build team chemistry.”

Oakley said scheduling formidable opponents is by design.

“Coming in, the schedule needed a few adjustments and once solidified, I knew what we were doing would challenge us outside of our conference games, push the envelope and after six games we have done a lot of growing,” she said. “We are not where we would like to be in terms of the win column, but we have made great strides in all areas. I keep telling the players we are in it for the long haul, conference is the most important part and it will click for us. I already see those light bulb moments, I just wish it were happening sooner but they are starting to get it while raising the bar.

“Throughout my playing and coaching careers, I have had the privilege of going up against some top-20 programs, not only out of conference but in-conference as well. I learned from my college coach, Lauren Shellcock, who said to be the best, you’ve got to play the best. In the beginning, it might be a challenge but that is how we learn and get prepared once we get into conference play. I feel like we will surprise a lot of teams. They are underestimating us and that’s a good spot to be in.”

Recruiting remains a top priority for Oakley and her staff.

“The goal moving forward is to canvas the area and always recruit our local talent,” she said. “Right now, lacrosse is such a growing sport, we are starting to see it move more to the Midwest and West Coast and that is exciting. Places like Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati boast some really strong athletes so the sport is really growing. I want to bring in local athletes because there is so much pride in our community and that can only elevate our program.

“I want to open every door and tag those out of region locations with the hopes of finding hidden gems that no one thinks about. They are the players who want to work harder because it isn’t as easy to get recruited.”

Despite her team’s slow start, Oakley says the future is quite bright.

“Our girls have really great energy and spirit, could be hanging their heads right now but refuse to do so,” Oakley said. “Again, we have been preaching to think long-term, look at what our goal is. They are starting to build that chemistry so it’s nice to see and be a part of that. Looking further into the future, I am highly competitive and want to build an amazing culture while doing things the right way. I want to make sure we are building relationships with our student-athletes while encouraging them to have long, lasting relationships with their teammates. I want to be competitive, win and be the best in the MAC. We have the resources available so I am going to be pretty aggressive with recruiting.

“The goal is to bring in talented players with a competitive mindset and try to change the program. Also, be a good teammate, fit into our system and be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Next week, Doug Kuberski, head coach of the defending national champion Youngstown State women’s bowling team, will serve as guest speaker.