Kylie Ohlmiller knows how to draft an offense. Go figure.

Ohlmiller, the NCAA’s all-time Division I points and assists leader, drafted a fantasy-like offense for the opening weekend of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse. And while the offense certainly did enough to lead the team to a 3-0 weekend, it was her defensive strategy that perhaps put the team over the top.

Seeking defenders who play with a fire, Ohlmiller drafted North Carolina product Kayla Wood — a relative unknown who finished No. 1 on the individual points leaderboard — Caroline Wakefield, Kyra Pelton and Kathy Rudkin. All four played well, as did goalies Kady Glynn and Brittany Read.

Team Ohlmiller outscored opponents by a combined 30-17, headlined by an offense of Ohlmiller, Kayla Treanor, Halle Majorana and Nicole Levy. Midfielders Dempsey Arsenault, Ally Kennedy and Haley Warden were also key contributors.

QUANTIFIABLE

Players who score goals always get the love. They get the highlights, the Twitter shoutouts and the postgame interviews. Athletes Unlimited has leveled the playing field.

Using its unique points system that rewards (or penalizes) players for every single thing that happens on the field, defenders and goalies are finally getting some praise.

Kayla Wood finished No. 1 on the leaderboard for winning all three games in Week 1 but also for dominating on the ground and off the draw circle. Goalies Kady Glynn and Britt Read finished Nos. 5 and 6 on the leaderboard, respectively.

Nos. 10-12 on the leaderboard were all defenders — Caroline Wakefield, Kyra Pelton and Kathy Rudkin. Caylee Waters, a goalie in the U.S. training pool, was No. 16.

OBSERVATIONS

Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse is fast-paced and fan-friendly. The shorter field with altered restraining lines makes for a swift up-and-down game, with speedy midfielders like Dempsey Arsenault and Ally Kennedy thriving in this format.

Every game feels like a fantasy matchup. With captains drafting their squads each week, there are dream pairings — an offense of Kylie Ohlmiller, Kayla Treanor, Halle Majorana and Nicole Levy, for instance — and incredible matchups created at every turn.

The draft is an interesting case study in itself. Do players want to win, or do they want to put themselves in the best position to succeed for the individual leaderboard? This weekend, we learned that those two things go hand in hand. Winning games will often translate to climbing (or securing position on) the leaderboard, as each of the four captains for Week 2 come from Team Ohlmiller, which went 3-0 to open Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse.

LEADERBOARD

WEEK 2 CAPTAINS

After Team Ohlmiller’s 3-0 weekend, each of this weekend’s four captains come from that squad. Now, they’ll draft their own teams and compete to secure positioning on the leaderboard.

The Week 2 draft is Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern on Facebook Live.

Kayla Wood: Kylie Ohlmiller called Wood “her new favorite person” after Friday’s win over Team Benson, as Wood took centerstage. She was a fiery, intense competitor and dominated 50-50 balls as Ohlmiller’s team controlled the game.

Kayla Treanor: She scored four times Friday night and 10 goals on the weekend, perhaps reminding the world that she’s one of the top finishers (if not the very top finisher) on the planet.

Dempsey Arsenault: Arsenault glided through the midfield and thrived on a shorter field. It will be interesting to see if Arsenault drafts an offensive-minded team, a defensive-minded one or a mix of both.

Haley Warden: Warden and Kady Glynn were tied with 411 points, but the captain nod goes to Warden here. She scored once this weekend and was a nuisance on the defensive side.