Moreno, Apuzzo in Familiar 1-2 Spots on Athletes Unlimited Leaderboard

Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse brought the heat in Week 1.

Some familiar faces sit atop the leaderboard after the first weekend of action at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., but there’s still plenty of lacrosse to play.

And given AU’s unique landscape, there are always storylines worth monitoring. Here’s what caught our eye after opening weekend.

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THE DEFENSE RESTS

The points system will constantly be tweaked in the offseason as Athletes Unlimited strives to perfect its unique model. This summer introduced a new points system that slightly favors defenders, at least compared to point systems of the past.

The argument was that defenders were not rewarded as much as other positions in the old systems. The playing field was leveled in Week 1, with four defenders — Lizzie Colson, Abby Bosco, Meg Douty and Kristen Carr — holding places in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard.

Three goalies, one attacker and two midfielders make up the rest of the top 10, showing the parity that the scoring system creates. Overall, being on winning teams generally ends up being the deciding factor come season’s end, so there’s motivation for players of any position to go all out for their squads.

GLYNN’S GREAT DAY

Kady Glynn was a brick wall in the final game of the weekend, leading Team Apuzzo to a 9-2 win over Team Moreno. Holding the opponent to just two goals was impressive enough for Glynn to be named the second MVP of the game, valuable points that solidified her standing at No. 7 for the week.

Glynn spent four years at Loyola (2016-19), making 482 saves with a 47.4 save percentage. She was the Patriot League’s goalie of the year in 2019, but even then, Glynn was an overlooked star in the cage. Athletes Unlimited has the provided her a real opportunity to both stay involved in the sport and make a name for herself.

Playing professional lacrosse was always her dream job.

LEADERBOARD

1. Taylor Moreno, 442
2. Sam Apuzzo, 426
3. Britt Read, 404
4. Lizzie Colson, 328
5. Abby Bosco, 313
6. Meg Douty, 310
7. Kady Glynn, 303
8. Lindsey McKone, 298
9. Kristen Carr, 294
10. Ally Kennedy, 293

WEEK 3 CAPTAINS

The Week 2 draft for Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse is Monday night. Check back to USA Lacrosse Magazine for updates rosters after the draft concludes.

Taylor Moreno: It’s a familiar spot atop the leaderboard for Moreno, who won the Athletes Unlimited championship last season as a rookie. She leads another familiar foe — Sam Apuzzo, who finished second last year.

Sam Apuzzo: Apuzzo doesn’t accept second place, as she told our Beth Ann Mayer. She finished second to Moreno by just 17 points last season, and after one week, she’s down 16. All it takes is a strong week to completely flip the script.

Britt Read: A fixture near the top of the leaderboard in 2022, Read finished fourth in the league’s second season. She was third in the standings in terms of stat points (564). The goalie has a history of drafting strong teams.

Lizzie Colson: Moreno might have overshadowed the rest of the rookies by winning the championship, but Colson had herself an excellent first summer as a pro, too. The Maryland graduate and U.S. women’s gold medalist finished eighth on the leaderboard.