The first Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season is in the books, and the inaugural champion of the competition has been crowned: Taylor Cummings is a winner yet again.
Cummings was already one of the most prolific lacrosse players of all time with a ridiculous list of accomplishments, and her legend only grows with this triumph this summer. She finished the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse competition with 1,943 points, holding onto the top spot by almost 200 points. Caylee Waters (1,753 points), Sam Apuzzo (1,685 points), and Kady Glynn (1,601 points) finished in second through fourth place, respectively.
“I want to thank everyone who made Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse possible,” Cummings said in a press release. “It was an honor to play alongside some of the best players in the world during this incredible five-week season and this gold medal is for all the athletes who helped to take this sport to the next level this year.”
Points in Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse could be earned in a variety of ways, from being part of a team win to scoring goals to earning a top-three player award in a game and more.
All photos, video highlights, and game recaps are courtesy of Athletes Unlimited.
The schedule from this last weekend of contests was as follows:
Friday, Aug. 20
GAME 25: Team Ohlmiller v Team Cummings
GAME 26: Team Glynn v Team Waters
Saturday, Aug. 21
GAME 27: Team Cummings v Team Glynn
GAME 28: Team Ohlmiller v Team Waters
Sunday, Aug. 22
GAME 29: Team Glynn v Team Ohlmiller
GAME 30: Team Waters v Team Cummings
Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse Crowns Taylor Cummings as First Champion
Friday, Aug. 20 – Boyds, Maryland
GAME 25: Team Ohlmiller v Team Cummings
Sam Apuzzo and Taylor Cummings Capitalize
Everyone who has followed Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse’s inaugural season knew the final weekend was going to be electric. But, Team Cummings did its part to confirm those feelings with an emphatic 13-6 victory over Team Ohlmiller at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Friday evening.
Attacker Sam Apuzzo (Boston College) and midfielder Taylor Cummings (Maryland) combined to score six goals with two assists and 10 draw controls in the victory. Each player had three goals with an assist, while Cummings accounted for 10 draw controls.
Midfielder Marie McCool (North Carolina) also chipped in a hat trick for Team Cummings, which outshot Team Ohlmiller by a 30-22 margin.
Attacker Kylie Ohlmiller (Stony Brook) led her squad in the defeat with a game-high four goals, while midfielder Ally Kennedy (Stony Brook) contributed a two-goal effort. Goalkeeper Mira Shane (Michigan) posted a season-high eight saves in goal.
Notes: Apuzzo scored the quickest goal to open a game this season, striking just six seconds into the opening quarter.
GAME 26: Team Glynn v Team Waters
Two-Pointers Traded in Frantic Fourth Quarter
After a slow start in the opening week of the season, the two-point shot has become a vital part of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season. Friday night’s game between Team Glynn and Team Waters was certainly no exception.
Attacker Shayna Pirreca (Florida) netted the game-winning goal with a two-point marker in the fourth quarter as Team Glynn held off Team Waters, 10-9, to close out the doubleheader at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
After midfielder Amanda Johansen (USC) gave Team Waters a 9-8 lead on a two-point goal with 5:28 remaining in regulation, Pirreca answered with a two-point marker of her own two minutes later to reclaim a one-point lead. Team Glynn held off the comeback bid to secure the victory.
Midfielder Alyssa Parrella (Hofstra) led Team Glynn with two goals and two assists, while attackers Kayla Treanor (Syracuse) and Cortney Fortunato (Notre Dame) each chipped in two markers.
Johansen paced Team Waters in a losing effort with two goals, including her two-point marker, while attacker Kenzie Kent (Boston College) and midfielder Haley Warden (James Madison) had a goal and an assist apiece.
Goalkeeper Caylee Waters (North Carolina) notched a season-high 12 saves in the loss for Team Waters, which was outshot by a 28-18 margin.
Saturday, Aug. 22 – Boyds, Maryland
GAME 27: Team Cummings v Team Glynn
Sam Apuzzo Goes Off Yet Again
If attacker Sam Apuzzo has been on the field over the last two weeks, a hat trick is all but guaranteed and Saturday’s game against Team Glynn was no exception.
The former Boston College standout netted a game-high three goals and added two assists as Team Cummings secured an 8-4 victory over Team Glynn in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
Apuzzo tallied a hat trick for the fifth consecutive game as Team Cummings improved to 2-0 in the final weekend of the inaugural season. She also added three ground balls and a caused turnover in the victory.
Midfielder Marie McCool (North Carolina) and attacker Mollie Stevens (Florida) each added two goals in the victory while goalkeeper Britt Read registered four saves to anchor the defense.
Four different players had a goal in the loss for Team Glynn. Goalkeeper Angie Benson stopped seven shots, setting a season high.
GAME 28: Team Ohlmiller v Team Waters
Katrina Dowd Wins It for Team Ohlmiller
From the scoreboard to the leaderboard, every point in Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse matters and that fact was on full display in Saturday’s contest between Team Ohlmiller and Team Waters at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
Attacker Katrina Dowd (Northwestern) scored the game-winning goal with just 1:08 remaining in regulation as Team Ohlmiller snuck past Team Waters for a 12-11 victory to close out the penultimate doubleheader of the season.
In a game that featured five ties and four lead changes, it was Dowd’s third goal of the game that provided the winning margin. She was one of four players in the contest to record a hat trick in addition to contributing an assist.
Team captain Kylie Ohlmiller (Stony Brook) posted a hat trick with an assist in the victory while midfielder Emily Parros (North Carolina) notched a two-goal, two-assist performance.
Attacker Kenzie (Boston College) led Team Waters in defeat with three goals and two assists while attacker Nicole Levy (Syracuse) chipped in a hat trick of her own. Goalkeeper Caylee Waters (North Carolina) made 11 saves for her squad, which was outshot by a 29-25 count.
Notes: There was a 21-minute weather delay that delayed the start of the second half.
Sunday, Aug. 23 – Boyds, Maryland
GAME 29: Team Ohlmiller v Team Waters
Alyssa Parrella Captures W for Team Team Glynn in Low-Scoring Affair
If the second game of Sunday’s season-ending Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse doubleheader is serving as the main course, the first game between Team Glynn and Team Ohlmiller was a pretty solid appetizer.
Midfielder Alyssa Parrella (Hofstra) scored the game-winning goal on a free-position attempt in overtime as Team Glynn survived for a thrilling 7-6 victory over Team Ohlmiller at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
Playing just the second overtime game of the inaugural season, Team Glynn and Team Ohlmiller engaged in an instant classic for the penultimate game of the season. Team captain Kady Glynn (Loyola Maryland) forced overtime when she stopped a free-position shot by midfielder Ally Kennedy (Stony Brook) with eight seconds remaining before Parrella answered in the extra period on her attempt.
Parrella netted a game-high three goals in the victory for Team Glynn, while four other players added a goal. Glynn made seven saves in the second half and overtime after Angie Benson (Virginia Tech) stopped five shots in the opening half.
Attacker Kylie Ohlmiller (Stony Brook) posted the lone multi-goal effort in the loss for Team Ohlmiller while goalkeepers Mira Shane (Michigan) and Amber Hill (Syracuse) combined to author 11 saves.
GAME 30: Team Waters v Team Cummings
Sam Apuzzo Helps Taylor Cummings Clinch Championship
Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for the final game of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season on Sunday night at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex as Team Cummings and Team Waters provided plenty of drama, action and suspense.
In the end, it was attacker Sam Apuzzo (Boston College) who played the role of hero as she led Team Cummings to a 7-5 victory over Team Waters in an exciting finale.
Apuzzo scored a game-high three goals for her league-leading eighth hat trick of the season. But, her final two goals were the most important. After closing the third quarter with an unassisted goal, Apuzzo’s two-point marker with 3:42 left gave Team Cummings a 5-4 lead it did not relinquish.
Midfielder Taryn VanThof (Loyola Maryland) closed the gap to 6-5 with 51 seconds left, but attacker Lindsey Ronbeck (Florida) sealed the win with a goal off an assist from midfielder Taylor Cummings (Maryland) with 33 seconds remaining.
Apuzzo was the only player to register a multi-goal game while attacker Michelle Tumolo (Syracuse) posted a pair of assists.
Goalkeeper Britt Read (Oregon) posted eight saves in the victory for Team Cummings, while team captain Caylee Waters (North Carolina) notched five stops for Team Waters.
Next Season
A second season for Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse was confirmed shortly after the first one ended. The competition will be back in 2022, though the location and dates are to be determined.
