Special Edition: Live, lax, love
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Wake up, it’s game day!
The new Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Lacrosse season is finally here, and the timing couldn’t be better — thanks to AU vets, NCAA superstars, and future Olympians, the game is more popular than ever.
- Here’s everything you need to know about the game-changing league. Let’s rip.
— AU Pro Lacrosse superstar Taylor Moreno, discussing her season goal of playing with gratitude in an exclusive interview with The GIST. Well, that and winning a third straight championship, obviously.
⚙️ How AU Pro Lacrosse works
The AU Pro Lacrosse season is a four-week, 56-player party hosted at the USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, with 24 games scheduled between today and the August 11th grand finale.
While each game is team vs. team, the ultimate goal is to rack up as many individual points as possible. Players accumulate points by winning a game or quarter with their team, making a positive play on the field, or being voted a Top 3 game MVP by fellow players or fans. In the end, the top point-earner across all four weeks takes the title in August. Every moment counts.
- Every Monday marks the start of a new series, where the league’s top four point-getters are crowned captains and handpick new squads for the week ahead.
- Your Series 1 captains (aka last season’s top four finishers)? The aforementioned Moreno, three-time Tewaaraton Award (college lax’s MVP) nominee Sam Apuzzo, two-time AU medalist Kady Glynn, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Abby Bosco. LFG.
And this season will also feature an exciting new update. AU adjusted the rulebook to improve game flow while preserving player safety. New rules reward creativity and teamwork by increasing points earned for assists and removing penalties for turnovers, encouraging the sport’s most elite players to really show off their skills and lax IQ. Can’t wait.
🤩 The starpower
Taylor Moreno, goalie: The aforementioned Moreno’s the first AU athlete to win back-to-back championships in any sport, and she shows no signs of slowing down in her third season. A brick wall in the net, the UNC alum already has her Week 1 team ready to rock for tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET season opener. Let the dominance begin.
Sam Apuzzo, attacker: The other half of AU’s spiciest rivalry, the most decorated AU player in any sport has been the championship runner-up behind Moreno for two straight seasons — and last year’s title race was an absolute barn-burner.
- But this could be Apuzzo’s year of destiny: She’s fresh off a championship season as an assistant coach for her alma mater, Boston College (BC).
Charlotte North, attacker: Another BC alum, North won the 2021 and 2022 Tewaaraton Awards and was the first overall pick in the 2022 AU draft. She’s been a force on the AU fields since then and is gearing up for a breakout third season.
Izzy Scane, attacker: Another two-time Tewaaraton winner and No. 1 draft pick, the recent Northwestern grad followed in North’s footsteps, winning the 2023 and 2024 collegiate MVPs. She took things one step further by breaking North’s scoring record in May, making her the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, women’s or men’s. Caitlin Clark, who?
📺 How to tune in
String that stick because the season officially kicks off with a doubleheader — Team Glynn vs. Team Apuzzo, then Team Moreno vs. Team Bosco — starting tonight at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
- Some games will appear on ESPN2 and ESPN+, so check the schedule to ensure you don’t miss a minute. Lax rats, unite.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
📖 What to read
This recent viral article about Charlotte North’s heartwarming coming-out story. No, you’re crying.
⏭️ What to look forward to
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where women’s and men’s lacrosse will regain medal sport status for the first time since 1908. A party 120 years in the making.
🎒 Who’s going back to school
The 19 AU lax players who also serve as NCAA coaches, including two head coaches: Drexel’s Katie O’Donnell and Towson’s Kristen Carr.
Question of the Day
Of the four athletes listed in The Starpower section above, who's your pick to win the championship this season?
Taylor Moreno, goalie
Sam Apuzzo, attacker
Charlotte North, attacker
Izzy Scane, attacker
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