Recap: Team Moreno Holds Off Late Comeback by Team Kennedy, 7-6

Team Moreno starts off Week Three at 1-0, while Team Kennedy falls to 0-1.

Goalkeeper Taylor Moreno earned Game MVP honors for the fifth time in seven games this season after making 11 saves to collect MVP 1 laurels and 182 leaderboard points.

Rookie attacker Izzy Scane scored a game-high three goals to pace the Team Moreno offense, while fellow newcomer Kasey Choma pitched in a pair of markers to aid in the victory.

Team Kennedy secured two of the three Game MVP commendations in the loss. Midfielder Ally Kennedy, who garnered MVP 2 distinction, scored two goals and added three draw controls, three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.

Midfielder Ally Mastroianni, meanwhile, was the game’s MVP 3 choice after chipping in two goals with four draw controls and a ground ball, giving the former North Carolina product 127 leaderboard points.

Attacker Sam Geiersbach and midfielder Cassidy Spilis each contributed a goal in the defeat for Team Kennedy, which outshot Team Moreno by a 33-27 margin. Goalkeeper Britt Read made seven saves to guide Team Kennedy’s defensive effort.

KEY MOMENT

Team Kennedy trailed by a 7-3 margin with 5:29 remaining in the fourth quarter before rattling off three straight goals, including a pair of Mastroianni markers, to narrow the gap to 7-6 with three seconds left. However, Team Moreno secured the ensuing draw control to run out the clock

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Moreno moves back to the top of the leaderboard with 991 points, while Kennedy stepped into second place with 926 points. In addition, Scane moved up to fourth place with 830 points.

GAME NOTES

• Teams are now 5-for-12 in captain’s challenges through 13 games this season … Team Kennedy initiated a captain’s challenge for a dangerous shot by Team Moreno rookie attacker Isabella Peterson at 1:43 in the second quarter … The call on the field was overturned and Peterson was issued a yellow card for a dangerous follow through.

• The Week Three opener between Team Kennedy and Team Moreno marked the third game this season decided by a one-point margin … Team Glynn outlasted Team Apuzzo, 13-12, in the season opener on July 18 before Team Bosco snuck past Team Glynn by an 8-7 count on July 21.

• Moreno was named as a Game MVP for the fifth time this season, which leads the league … It is also the 14th Game MVP award of her three-year AU Pro Lacrosse career, which is tied for third in league history with goalkeeper Kady Glynn.

• Mastroianni and Kennedy each have nine career Game MVP awards to their credit after being honored in Thursday’s opener.

• Captains hold an 8-12 all-time record in their AU Pro Lacrosse debut after Kennedy dropped the one-point decision against Moreno on Thursday in her first game as a team leader.

• Moreno has won 8 of her last 11 games as a team captain after edging Team Kennedy in the Week Three opener … She owns a 16-12 career record in the captain’s chair, including a 5-2 mark this season.

• After scoring just three goals in her first six games, Choma authored the first multi-goal outing of her professional career by striking for a pair of markers in the Week Three opener.

• Scane ran her goal-scoring streak to seven consecutive games after netting a player-up goal with 1:58 remaining in the opening frame … The former Northwestern attacker is one of two players in the league to score a goal in every game this season, joining attacker Charlotte North.

• Scane also notched her fifth hat trick of the season, including the fourth in a row, after scoring three goals in the win for Team Moreno … She has pocketed 13 goals over her last four games.

• Scane has won six consecutive games after opening the season with a loss on July 18 … Her six wins are tied for the most in the league with defender Emily Nalls, who has won four games in a row.

• Moreno registered the 24th double-digit save performance of her Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse career after finishing with 11 saves in Thursday’s Week Three opener … Moreno has notched 10 or more saves in 10 of her last 12 outings dating back to last season.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Taylor Moreno (Team Moreno, +45)
• #2 – Ally Kennedy (Team Kennedy, +30)
• #3 – Ally Mastroianni (Team Kennedy, +15)