The second season of Athletes Unlimited lacrosse has arrived, with the four week season running from July 21 through August 14.

This year’s rookie class is stacked with names like Charlotte North and Jamie Ortega entering the ranks. But others like Sam Apuzzo and Caylee Waters are back in the fold. Just Women’s Sports has three athletes to watch as the season heats up

Charlotte North

Raise your hand if you’re surprised Charlotte North is on this list. 

One of this season’s rookies, North enters this season having cemented her legacy as one of the greatest collegiate lacrosse players of all time. The NCAA all-time leader with 358 career goals, she brings the firepower every time she steps onto the field. 

A two-time Tewaaraton Award winner, she is also fresh off of winning gold with Team USA at the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship (as are many of those competing with Athletes Unlimited this season). At those championships, North led Team USA in goals with 23 total – good for ninth in the tournament. 

She appears to be bringing those stats with her, having scored three goals in her first AU game against Team Waters, with two of those goals being two-point goals. She added three assists and won two draw controls, showcasing just how balanced she can be on the scoresheet.

Another @charlotteocho8 goal!! Are we surprised⁉️#AULax | 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/m0tuUBNR53

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 22, 2022

Look for North to find the back of the net even more this season – and find herself at or near the top of the leaderboard.

Lauren Gilbert

A two-time IWLCA All-American First Team selection, Lauren Gilbert made noise with a very good Northwestern program in college. The fourth-leading scorer in program history with 225 career goals, she helped lead the Wildcats to two Big Ten Conference titles and three NCAA semifinal appearances.

Her first time out with Team Apuzzo ended well last night, with Gilbert rocketing to the top of the leaderboard. She notched the first goal of the Athletes Unlimited season – her first of four on the night against Team Glynn.

First goal of the season, first goal of Lauren Gilbert's AU career 🙌#BeUnlimited | #AULax pic.twitter.com/92e5wzn3MC

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 21, 2022

While there are still plenty of games to be played, Gilbert is no stranger to leading the way, having led Northwestern last season with 79 goals and 106 points. With 27 assists, she’s also capable of creating chances for teammates, making her a threat all around.

Marie McCool

Another player fresh off of a gold medal win at the world championships, Marie McCool ranked second on Team USA with 20 goals, including the opener in the gold medal game against Canada.

She also contributed 17 draw controls and had five hat tricks in eight separate games. The former No. 2 overall selection in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League draft and a 2019 WPLL champion with Baltimore, McCool is a winner.

McCool as the other side of the pillow. @mariemccool4 🥶 pic.twitter.com/4n8jZhJfMR

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 6, 2022

After finishing ninth last season with 1,517 points, the midfielder is back and ready for more. Look for her to improve on her draw controls from last season (49, good for second in the league) and continue her goal scoring tear from the world championships. Already she has two from Team Waters’ 12-8 loss to Team Read, which was tied for first on her team with attacker Kenzie Kent (2G, 2A).

Light work for @mariemccool4 🤩

Team Waters is up by2️⃣after the first quarter!!#AULax | 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/d84tFQj2Eb

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 22, 2022

The Athletes Unlimited lacrosse season continues Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

On Thursday, US Soccer announced that the USWNT will cap off its 2024 campaign with a December 3rd friendly against the Netherlands in The Hague — the team's 23rd game this year.

The match comes three days after the US side's previously announced meeting with 2022 European champions and 2023 World Cup finalists England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium. 

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To stay the best, the USWNT will play the best

Following their gold medal-winning run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the USWNT reclaimed their world No. 1 ranking. In order to stay there, head coach Emma Hayes noted, the team must seek out matches against other top international foes.

"It was a fantastic summer for our team, and we’re going to take a lot of great lessons and memories from our time in France, but now we are looking forward to continuing our process,” said Hayes.

"In order for our team to keep learning and growing, and for the coaching staff to continue to evaluate players, we need to play the best teams possible. Playing matches in Europe against some of the world’s top teams will be an important part of our journey."

With England sitting at No. 2 in the world and the Dutch at No. 11, this final 2024 road trip is exactly what the US boss ordered.

The Dutch are a familiar friendly foe

In their 11 previous meetings with the Netherlands, the USWNT has only lost once: a 4-3 defeat in their first-ever matchup in 1991. In the years since, the States have had the upper hand, logging eight wins and two draws.

The duo has ramped up the drama in their matches, though, facing each other in world championships in three of their last four bouts.

The USWNT's 2019 World Cup final win is arguably the team's most meaningful Dutch defeat, though recent tilts have appeared significantly tougher. While the US walked away with the win in the pair's 2021 Olympic quarterfinal, they needed penalty kicks to do so. And in the States's admittedly disappointing 2023 World Cup run, they played the Netherlands to a 1-1- draw in the group stage.

How to watch the USWNT's European friendlies

The US will take on England on November 30th at 12:20 PM ET. Their meeting with the Netherlands will kick off at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.

Both friendlies will air live on TNT, or you can stream the games via Max and Peacock.

The NWSL, in collaboration with Tiffany & Co., dropped revamped Shield and regular-season MVP trophies on Wednesday.

The bold new hardware is part of a plan to “set a new standard for recognition in women’s sports” by giving the Tiffany treatment to all NWSL end-of-season awards. This year's two additions join the redesigned Championship and Championship MVP awards that kicked off the league’s partnership with the jewelry company last year.

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An NWSL Shield worthy of superheroes

Both awards are handcrafted by Tiffany & Co. The refreshed MVP award includes a silver soccer ball atop a tall base.

"The best players in the world play here at the NWSL, and it is only fitting that we work with Tiffany to honor the best of the best," said NWSL chief marketing and commercial officer Julie Haddon in the league's announcement. “It has been a long time coming to create a suite of awards that are as extraordinary as our athletes."

Inspired by ancient Greco-Roman armor, the 24K gold and sterling silver Shield features a unique, interactive design. It is equipped with a handle so it can be removed from its base and held like "a true shield." 

Orlando poised to handle the new hardware

As the still-undefeated league leaders, the Orlando Pride are the clear frontrunners to claim the redesigned NWSL Shield.

The second-place Washington Spirit, third-place Gotham FC, and fourth-place KC Current are technically still in the running. However, with four matchdays left, Orlando can clinch the Shield outright by either defeating the Spirit this Sunday or winning two other remaining matches.

The regular-season MVP award race is tighter. Though Golden Boot leader Temwa Chawinga (KC) and the league's next top scorer Barbra Banda (Orlando) have pulled away from the pack.

And if Banda snags the honor, both new trophies will likely be bound for Florida.

Two games into the best-of-five 2024 WNBA semifinals, and the back-to-back defending champion Aces are staring down elimination while the Lynx evened the score last night.

With Friday's Game 3 offering a venue change, Las Vegas will need every ounce of their home-court advantage to continue their playoff run, while Minnesota's aim will be to silence the Connecticut crowd.

Aces on the brink of elimination after Game 2 loss

Tuesday's second-straight loss, an 88-84 defeat by the No. 1 seed Liberty in Brooklyn, has No. 4 seed Las Vegas on the brink of playoff elimination. The Aces are now the first reigning champions to ever fall to a 0-2 deficit in a WNBA playoff series.

Las Vegas has yet to conquer the Liberty this season, falling a franchise record-tying five straight times to same opponent, all after defeating New York in the 2023 WNBA Finals.

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New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas's A'ja Wilson led their teams in scoring with 24 points each, while Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot provided a crucial spark off the bench. 

Should Las Vegas turn things around when the series moves back to Nevada on Friday, they'd become the first team to ever bounce back from 0-2 to reach the WNBA Finals.

Aces guard Chelsea Gray put a positive spin on the challenge, saying "I love being in the history books, so might as well try to start there. That's going to be our mentality."

Lynx level up with Game 2 semifinal win in Minnesota

No. 2 seed Minnesota evened their semifinal score with No. 3 seed Connecticut on Tuesday, earning a 77-70 win in Minneapolis to send the series back East at one victory apiece.

Courtney Williams led the Lynx in scoring with 17 points, while a physical Minnesota defense held the Sun to less than 40% shooting from the field.

In the loss, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner became the third all-time leading scorer in WNBA postseason history. She also inked her name into the league record books as the player with the most appearances in playoff history at 83 games and counting.

Friday kicks off a guaranteed two-game run in Connecticut, with the home side on a mission to reach the Finals for the first time since 2022.

How to watch Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals

Las Vegas and Minnesota will look to pick up critical wins in Friday's Game 3, with the Aces facing a must-win scenario in front of what promises to be a rocking home crowd.

The Lynx will travel to Connecticut for a 7:30 PM ET tip off on Friday, October 4th, followed by a Liberty vs. Aces showdown in Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET. Both games are scheduled to air on ESPN2.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a look at the first games of the 2024 WNBA semifinals, discussion whether or not Aces and Lynx fans can find the silver lining in their teams' respective shortcomings heading into Game 2.

Then, she shouts out the big winners and losers of this weekend's NWSL's slate, including this season's historic Golden Boot race and the competition to clinch one of the final playoff spots.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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