Recap: Aust Holman, Gilbert each score 4 for Team Apuzzo

Eric Rhew

Aug 04, 2022

SPARKS, Md. — If there’s one thing Team Apuzzo knows how to do better than any other team in Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, it’s putting together a come-from-behind victory.

And while the members of the team may have changed from Week Two to Week Three, the formula still works to perfection with the latest example coming on Thursday night in an 11-8 victory over Team Colson to begin the Week Three schedule at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

The win allowed team captain Sam Apuzzo to remain unbeaten at 7-0 this season, while defender Lizzie Colson, who is serving as a captain for the first time this week, suffered defeat for the first time in seven outings this season.

The dynamic duo of attackers Lauren Gilbert and Alex Aust Holman paired up to lead Team Apuzzo to its latest comeback triumph, combining for eight goals with six draw controls and two ground balls. Aust Holman, who scored just four goals in her first six outings, cashed in for four goals in the victory and secured 174 leaderboard points after being named the game’s MVP 1 recipient.

Gilbert, meanwhile, tallied her fourth hat trick in seven games this season after equaling her season high with four goals, including a marker in each quarter. The former Northwestern standout closed play with 157 leaderboard points and was named the MVP 2 selection.

Colson garnered MVP 3 honors after picking up five draw controls with a caused turnover and a ground ball, earning 52 total points.

KEY MOMENT

Trailing by a 5-2 margin midway through the second quarter, Team Apuzzo began its comeback bid with three straight goals to even the score at 5-5 with 4:31 left in the first half. Attacker Charlotte North reclaimed Team Colson’s advantage, but Team Apuzzo completed the comeback by scoring six of the final seven goals for the three-point victory.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

The win allowed Apuzzo to become the first player this season with 1,000 or more leaderboard points as the former Boston College standout took over the league lead with 1,050 points. Gilbert also rose three spots to eighth place and has 764 points in seven games.

GAME NOTES

The game was delayed for two and a half hours due to inclement weather in the area … As a result, the Team Moreno vs. Team Johansen game, originally scheduled for Thursday night, has been moved to 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, with no broadcast coverage available.
North has scored a two-point goal in three of her last four outings and has a league-best five two-pointers through seven games … She also has five consecutive multi-goal performances with three hat tricks during that span.
Apuzzo extended her point-scoring streak to 22 consecutive games after closing play with a goal and an assist.
Team Apuzzo outshot Team Colson by a 26-19 margin, including a 12-7 count in the second half.
There were four total shot clock violations in the contest.
With four assists in the game, there have now been 106 total assists in 13 games … Aspiration will commit to plant 10 trees for every assist this season as part of its “Aspiration Assists” initiative.