Recap: Huff ties single-game goal record, climbs 8 spots

For Team Moreno midfielder Kelsey Huff, Thursday night’s game against Team Glynn provided the rookie from USC a chance to make her move. And she certainly took advantage of it.

Huff erupted for a single-game record-tying five goals, including a pair of two-point markers, and racked up 210 leaderboard points while charging Team Moreno to a 13-8 victory at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

Honored as the game’s MVP 1 selection, Huff notched her second hat trick as a professional in the first 23 minutes of the game before tacking on two more goals in the fourth quarter. Huff had scored six total goals in her previous five outings before the five-goal explosion in the victory.

While Huff was making moves on the offensive end of the field, fellow rookie Ally Palermo was taking control on the defensive side. The recent Northwestern graduate, who set a season high with 187 points, secured MVP 2 honors after authoring her first goal as a professional while notching four ground balls, three caused turnovers and a draw control.

Goalkeeper Taylor Moreno, who started her third straight week as a captain, notched seven saves with a ground ball and a caused turnover to remain in the hunt for the individual crown.

Kady Glynn, Moreno’s counterpart, was named as the MVP 3 choice following a 13-save performance, which set a personal Athletes Unlimited career high. Three different players scored twice in the loss for Team Glynn, which was outshot by a 31-19 margin.

KEY MOMENT

After the teams traded goals three times in the opening 12 minutes of the game, Team Moreno ran off six straight goals over the next 18 minutes to take an 11-3 advantage it did not relinquish. Attacker Kenzie Kent netted three of her goals during the run, while Huff struck twice, including one of her two two-pointers.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Moreno stands second in the league leaderboard behind attacker Sam Apuzzo entering Saturday’s game, but the margin is just 20 points. Meanwhile, Huff’s heroics elevated her eight spots on the leaderboard to the No. 7 position.

GAME NOTES

• Team Glynn was held without a goal for 19 minutes, 42 seconds, which spanned the second, third and fourth quarters … However, the squad outscored Team Moreno by a 5-2 margin in the final eight-plus minutes of the game to secure the fourth quarter win points.

• Rookie attacker Charlotte North extended her goal-scoring streak to 10 games with her goal in the first quarter.

• Attacker Halle Majorana joined North as the only players in the league to score in all 10 games after netting a goal with 3:43 left in the opening period.

• Huff became the fourth different player in league history to notch a pair of two-point goals in the same game, including the second player this season … North also had a pair of two-pointers on July 21 against Team Waters.

• Huff also became the second player this season with five goals in a game, joining Kent, who had five goals against Team Moreno last Saturday … It is the seventh time in Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse history a player has registered five goals in a single game.

• Glynn has 10 or more saves in four of her last five outings.

• Attacker Izzy McMahon upped her goal-scoring streak to six consecutive games with a marker in the fourth quarter … McMahon, who also added a two-pointer in the final frame, has scored all 12 of her goals this season during the six-game stretch.

• McMahon also has a two-point goal in four consecutive games … She is the first player in league history to notch a two-pointer in four straight outings.

• Moreno had her streak of eight consecutive double-digit save efforts snapped after her seven saves on Thursday night.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Kelsey Huff (Team Moreno, +45)
• #2 – Ally Palermo (Team Moreno, +30)
• #3 – Kady Glynn (Team Glynn, +15)