Recap: Apuzzo Has Day to Remember in Week 1 Finale Victory

Apuzzo, who entered the day in 27th place on the leaderboard, secured a familiar seat in the captain’s chair for Week Two after scoring four goals, including a pair of two-point markers, to lead Team Apuzzo to a commanding 18-7 victory at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

The win allowed Team Apuzzo to finish with a 1-2 record, while Team Moreno (2-1) saw an end to its two-game win streak.

Apuzzo, who earned MVP 1 honors for the 15th time in her AU Pro Lacrosse career, finished with a career-high 256 leaderboard points after her six-point performance. She also added a career-best nine draw controls with a ground ball.

Goalkeeper Caylee Waters secured MVP 2 distinction after registering nine saves, including eight in the first half, with two ground balls and a caused turnover to finish with 191 leaderboard points.

Attacker Charlotte North completed the MVP sweep for the winning side after scoring five goals with a career-high three assists, giving the former Boston College standout 217 leaderboard points.

Rookie midfielder Ellie Masera paced Team Moreno in the loss with two goals, while fellow newcomers Sydni Black and Sierra Cockerille pitched in a goal with an assist. Goalkeeper Taylor Moreno posted 11 saves in the setback.

KEY MOMENT

After Masera opened the scoring with an unassisted goal, Team Apuzzo netted four of the next five markers, including a two-pointer by Apuzzo, to take a 5-2 lead with 6:00 left in the second quarter.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Apuzzo’s 256-point performance, which ranks second in the league’s four-year history, rocketed her into fourth place and put her in the captain’s seat for the 10th consecutive week. Meanwhile, North soared 34 spots on the leaderboard and will enter Week Two in eighth place following the first 200-point game of her career.

GAME NOTES

• Teams are now 2-for-7 in captain’s challenges this season after Team Moreno was unsuccessful on a captain’s challenge with 30 seconds left in the third quarter on a goal by midfielder Cassidy Spilis.

• Team Apuzzo’s 18-point explosion established a new Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse single-game standard, besting the previous record of 16 points … Team Arsenault downed Team Read, 16-10, on August 7, 2021, while Team Cummings earned a 16-9 victory over Team Arsenault on August 15, 2021.

• Team Apuzzo also matched the league’s single-game record with 16 goals, equaling the mark set by Team Arsenault in the 16-10 win over Team Read on August 7, 2021.

• Team Apuzzo secured the league’s second win points sweep of the season … It is the 21st time in 84 career Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse games where a team has registered all 125 win points.

• Team Apuzzo also set a pair of new league single-game records with 40 shot attempts and 28 shots on goal in Sunday’s victory.

• Sunday’s Week One finale marked the eighth time Apuzzo and Moreno have squared off as captains in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse careers … Apuzzo holds a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series with wins in four of the last five affairs.

• Moreno has fashioned 10 or more saves in seven of the eight all-time encounters against Apuzzo as captains … In addition, she extended her Athletes Unlimited career standard with her 21st double-digit save performance.

• With her seven saves in the first half, Moreno became the second netminder in league history to surpass 300 career saves … The former North Carolina backstop, who closed Week One with 309 saves in three seasons, joins Britt Read in the exclusive club … Read stands as the league’s all-time leader with 332 saves.

• Apuzzo became the seventh different player in Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse history to register multiple two-point goals in the same game … She also upped her career total to six two-pointers, which are tied for fifth on the league’s all-time chart.

• With her four goals in Sunday’s Week One finale, Apuzzo upped her league-record career total to 99 markers in 42 career games … She will enter Week Two needing just one goal to become the first player in league history with 100 or more tallies.

• Apuzzo matched her career high with a six-point performance against Team Moreno … It is the fourth time has amassed six points in a game during her Athletes Unlimited career.

• Apuzzo also extended her league record with the 26th Game MVP award of her career after the MVP 1 commendation in Sunday’s finale … She also owns the league record for the most career MVP 1 certificates.

• Apuzzo’s 256 leaderboard points stand as the second-highest single-game total in league history, trailing the 257-point performance by Moreno against Team Read on July 20, 2023 … It is also Apuzzo’s sixth career game with 200 or more points, matching Moreno’s league mark.

• Waters garnered Game MVP laurels for the 15th time in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse career, moving into sole possession of second place on the league’s all-time ledger.

• North authored the 16th hat trick of her AU Pro Lacrosse career after notching three goals in the first half … North, who finished with a game-high five goals, stands second on the career hat tricks list behind Apuzzo’s 19 career hat tricks.

• North amassed five or more goals in a game for the fifth time in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse career, breaking a tie with attacker Kylie Ohlmiller for the most instances in the league’s four-year history.

• North finished the opening week with a league-best 12 goals, breaking the league record for goals in a single series … It is the sixth time a player has tallied 10 or more goals in a three-game series.

• Goalkeeper Kat Buchanan made her season debut with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter after replacing Moreno … The former James Madison netminder tallied one save and allowed two goals.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Sam Apuzzo (Team Apuzzo, +45)
• #2 – Caylee Waters (Team Apuzzo, +30)
• #3 – Charlotte North (Team Apuzzo, +15)