Team Apuzzo Secures 3-0 Week with 14-10 Win Over Team Moreno

SPARKS, Md — During the opening week of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, no squad escaped its three-game slate unscathed. But two titans clashed Sunday afternoon at USA Lacrosse’s Tierney Field, where Team Apuzzo and Team Moreno entered their final games with an unbeaten week two on the line.

After backstopping a defensive unit that surrendered just 13 goals in its first two games, Taylor Moreno had her second consecutive shot at a 3-0 record. Once again, Team Moreno would have to navigate beyond a Sam Apuzzo-captained group. But unlike last week, Apuzzo’s team wasted no time finding its footing with Thursday and Saturday wins.

Boasting a high-octane attack and an equally stout defense, Team Apuzzo appeared well equipped for another run-in with the reigning Athletes Unlimited individual champion.

“We just tried to take the momentum from yesterday’s game, [when] we all worked together and had a ton of fun,” Team Apuzzo attacker Sam Geiersbach said. “All throughout today’s game, we were just giving it all that we got.”

Apuzzo’s squad accelerated to a 9-3 halftime advantage, and Geiersbach’s four first-half goals helped fuel a 14-10 Team Apuzzo victory while earning first MVP honors. Rookie attackers Izzy Scane and Madison Ahern both registered hat tricks, with Ahern named the game’s second MVP.

Geiersbach, whose two late goals proved pivotal in Saturday’s 12-9 defeat of Team Read, said the attack’s collective strength facilitated her lightning-quick start. The attacker produced an Athletes Unlimited career-high five points during the win.

“We were just doing really well off the bat offensively, attacking from all points on the offensive end,” Geiersbach said. “All the credit to the initial dodgers getting the slides to come and then hitting the backside. It was really easy for me to just catch and rip.”

With the league’s sheer talent level across the board, Team Apuzzo defender Katie Detwiler said she and her teammates couldn’t take the opportunity to nab a three-win week for granted.

“It’s definitely an adjustment from your rookie season, coming back and playing after having so many months off,” Detwiler said. “You’re not used to the contact and the physicality, so stacking together three wins is huge for us.”

Drawing a daunting defensive assignment of faceguarding Charlotte North for much of Sunday’s game, Detwiler held North to just one first-half conversion.

Though the Tewaaraton Award winner eventually found her second-half form with two goals — including a two-pointer — Team Apuzzo held Team Moreno to its lowest scoring output of the week.

“Our communication was just spot on,” Detwiler said. “We really worked as a cohesive unit going against an offense who wanted isos in different formations. We really focused on working together and making sure no matter what happened, we were supporting each other … having first slide and second slide.”

Detwiler linked up with fellow Loyola alumnae Kady Glynn and Katrina Geiger, all of whom played crucial roles on a defense that allowed just 18 goals in their first 100 minutes of Week 2 action.

While Detwiler never shared the field with Glynn and Geiger as a Greyhound, Geiger said the trio carries significant on- and off-field chemistry.

“Loyola-wise — whether you played with each other or not — the Hounds [are] a Hounds family,” Geiger said. “I might be biased, but I think it’s the best alumni base in the country. It’s so easy playing with them.”

Geiger and Detwiler both credited Glynn’s steadiness in goal for the defense’s ability to take more risks. Glynn posted a game-high 12 saves between the pipes, garnering third MVP honors. The goalkeeper fended off efforts from all angles, slamming the door shut on several momentum-altering attempts for her 16th career double-digit save display.

Despite her stellar individual showing, Glynn deflected praise to her defenders as if she faced another seemingly sure-fire shot from close range.

“I have to give all the credit to my defense,” Glynn said. “They’re always closing those outside shots and having my back.”

As Athletes Unlimited heads into its third week, all four of its captains shared the field during Sunday afternoon’s clash of then-unbeaten foes. Apuzzo and Moreno will return as captains for the third consecutive week, finishing first and second on the leaderboard with 905 and 809 points, respectively. North and Ally Kennedy will join the captain’s ranks for the first time this season.

Detwiler said she expects the level of play to continually increase as the season progresses.

“[On] the first weekend, we were all getting our feet back under us and getting used to the people we were playing with chemistry-wise,” Detwiler said. “The second weekend really shows how much can come together within a week and how much we can really produce.”

UPDATED LEADERBOARD

1. Sam Apuzzo, 905 points
2. Taylor Moreno, 809
3. Ally Kennedy, 769
4. Charlotte North, 764
5. Emily Nalls, 742
6. Izzy Scane, 714
7. Sam Geiersbach, 701
8. Kady Glynn, 680
9. Katie O’Donnell, 661
10. Cassidy Weeks, 653