Recap: Griffin, Arsenault, Apuzzo tally hat tricks in 11-5 victory

Eric Rhew

Aug 13, 2022

SPARKS, Md. — Before Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse game between Team Apuzzo and Team Glynn, goalkeeper Britt Read said in a television interview her team wanted to do whatever they could to keep captain Sam Apuzzo at the top of the league’s leaderboard.

Combine the team’s efforts on Saturday with Apuzzo’s four-goal outburst and the result is an 11-5 victory over Team Glynn at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

The victory allowed Team Apuzzo to remain unbeaten at 2-0, while Team Glynn dropped to 0-2 with its second straight setback. In addition, the win kept Apuzzo in the driver’s seat for the league title.

Apuzzo, who entered Saturday’s action with a slim 20-point advantage over goalkeeper Taylor Moreno, extended the lead after banking 208 leaderboard points, including 45 points from being named the game’s MVP 1 selection. The former Boston College standout finished with four goals, including a natural hat trick in the fourth quarter, while adding two ground balls and 125 win points.

Midfielder Dempsey Arsenault followed with the MVP 2 pick following a three-goal performance with a ground ball and a caused turnover. Arsenault, another Boston College product, tallied 197 points to move into third place in the league standings.

Rookie midfielder Grace Griffin secured a game-high 212 leaderboard points on the strength of four goals with a caused turnover and a draw control. The former Maryland product, who bagged her first hat trick as a professional, claimed MVP 3 accolades.

Attacker Halle Majorana paced Team Glynn in the loss with three goals and an assist, while attacker Izzy McMahon and midfielder Ally Kennedy each struck for a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Kady Glynn notched 11 saves in the setback.

KEY MOMENT

After the teams exchanged a pair of goals in the opening quarter, Team Apuzzo scored five of the next six markers to take a 6-3 lead it did not relinquish. Team Glynn closed the gap to 7-5 with 6:34 remaining in regulation, but four straight goals, including Apuzzo’s natural hat trick, sealed the win for Team Apuzzo.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Apuzzo closed the game with a 228-point advantage over Moreno heading into Saturday’s second game between Team Moreno and Team Johansen. Defender Caroline Wakefield elevated her position on the leaderboard by 11 spots after finishing with six caused turnovers in addition to four ground balls.

GAME NOTES

Rookie attacker Charlotte North was held without a goal for the first time in her professional career after missing all six of her shots in Saturday’s loss.
Majorana stands as the only player in the league to score at least one goal in all 11 contests this summer after authoring her third hat trick in the last four games … Over her last four outings, Majorana has tallied 11 goals.
Apuzzo attempted 15 shots in the game, setting an Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse single-game record … Apuzzo held the previous mark with 12 attempts against Team Arsenault on Aug. 16, 2021.
Wakefield’s six caused turnovers also set a single-game record … Midfielder Taylor Cummings owned the previous mark of five caused turnovers against Team Wood on Aug. 6, 2021.
McMahon extended her goal-scoring streak to seven consecutive games with her marker in the fourth quarter … However, her league-record string of four straight games with a two-point goal ended.
Team Apuzzo swept all 125 win points in the victory, marking the third time this season a team has claimed all of the possible win points … In addition, it is the ninth time in league history a team has posted a win points sweep.
Team Apuzzo outshot Team Glynn by a 34-24 margin, including a 20-12 count in the first half.
The teams combined for 39 turnovers and authored 24 caused turnovers.
Apuzzo now stands 10-1 in game wins this season.