Moreno Still Holds Top Spot, Kent Makes Big Jump in AU Week 2

Halfway through the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season, athletes are feeling the heat. As Taylor Moreno continues her dominance of the individual leaderboard, others are jockeying for captain positions on a weekly basis.

The superstar roster for AU Season 3 battled extreme heat on the field at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., in Week 2. And while Week 3 figures to be a bit cooler, that’s a relative term — the calendar has flipped to August, and the last two weeks of the AU season are going to be a scorcher.

Here’s what happened in Week 2.

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ONE-GOAL WONDER

Sam Apuzzo captained her team to three one-goal wins in Week 2 — 8-7 over Team Read; 10-9 over Team Colson; and 8-7 over Team Moreno.

The win points, coupled with her individual performances, have Apuzzo entrenched at No. 2 on the leaderboard. She’s 156 points behind Moreno and 155 points ahead of Kady Glynn, who was Apuzzo’s teammate in Week 2.

Apuzzo has proven to be a deft captain, routinely drafting successful teams. Can she do it again in Week 3? She’ll need all the win points she can get to keep pace with (and possibly surpass) Moreno in the top spot.

BIGGEST CLIMBER

Nobody jumped more spots on the individual leaderboard after Week 2 than Kenzie Kent, who climbed 35 spots to No. 16. She’s now at a part of the leaderboard that is muddled with players contending for the top 10. At 16, she’s just 43 points away from Courtney Taylor in 10th place.

Kent was quiet in Week 1, producing just two goals and one assist over three games. She even had a negative performance in Game 3, going for minus-12 points. She vastly improved in Week 2, combining for seven goals, one assist and five draw controls. She had 377 points this week alone.

On the opposite end was Izzy McMahon, who fell 37 spots to No. 50. McMahon had an excellent opening week, scoring eight goals with two assists, but she struggled on Team Read, scoring minus-22 points over three games.

LEADERBOARD

1. Taylor Moreno, 1,047
2. Sam Apuzzo, 891
3. Kady Glynn, 736
4. Abby Bosco, 699
5. Amanda Johansen, 655
6. Dempsey Arsenault, 641
7. Katie Detwiler, 623
8. Grace Griffin, 619
9. Lizzie Colson, 587
10. Courtney Taylor, 570

WEEK 3 CAPTAINS

The Week 3 draft for Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse is Monday night. Check back to USA Lacrosse Magazine for updates rosters after the draft concludes.

Taylor Moreno: Does this superstar know how to draft or what? Moreno has become a fixture atop the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse leaderboard, and she holds a 156-point lead over second-place Sam Apuzzo.

Sam Apuzzo: Not to be outdone by Moreno, Apuzzo simply drafts winning teams. Her side captured three one-goal wins in Week 2.

Kady Glynn: Glynn takes the captain’s seat vacated by fellow goalie Britt Read. Glynn had a big Week 2, climbing four spots in a competitive top 10 to earn captain honors.

Abby Bosco: Bosco replaces another defender, Lizzie Colson, as the fourth captain — again speaking to the improved point potential for defenders in AU Season 3. She was in fifth place last week, so a modest climb to No. 4 has her in control of her own destiny as a captain.