Despite a late surge from the WUL, the PUL All-Star Team took home the win for the second year in a row. We're reliving the five most exciting moments from another thrilling showdown between the best of the best!
September 11, 2026 by Rhea Patney in Opinion, Recap
The PUL and WUL met for the second annual PUL/WUL All-Star Game in Madison, Wisconsin August 28, during the UFA’s Championship Weekend. The PUL earned a 20-18 victory over the WUL this year, securing back-to-back wins after a 15-9 victory last year.
The game was played with a seven-second stall count, which WUL players are accustomed to as the standard in their league, while in the PUL players play with a 10-second stall count. The faster stall count led to a faster pace, setting the tone for a game full of exciting plays. And while All-Star Games in other leagues tend to be more exhibition-style, with less emphasis on competition and defense, this game was as competitive as they come. You can read the full game recap here, but here in chronological order are five of the best plays from the matchup.
#1 – Lindsay McKenna
No surprise, PUL League MVP Lindsay McKenna did not waste any time making a highlight play. On the first point of the game, a WUL handler launched a backhand toward the sideline. McKenna, who had just thrown a turnover and was back running the outside lane on defense, shifted her path toward the inside and laid out near the sideline to come up with the block.
#2 – Haley Bollier
Haley Bollier saved the play for the WUL, turning not one but two potential turnovers into a break that ended the first quarter. After her teammate Abbie Davis couldn’t save the disc with a bid of her own, Bollier dug it up at the sideline, immediately took off toward the end zone, and laid out again to snag the one-handed score.
#3 – Dena Elimelech
Dena Elimelech has now been on both sides of this game, being a WUL All-Star last year and a PUL All-Star this year. She also plays on both sides of the disc, as she showed with these bookends. While defending an under cut, she took the inside lane and got the run-through block (and after pulling to start the point, no less). Then, she evaded her bidding defender to bring in the goal, her fourth of the game.
#4 – Eileen Bequette
Of course, we had to include a play from All-Star Game MVP Eileen Bequette. With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Grace Conerly floated a flick to the opposite side of the end zone, where Bequette came down with it, managing to hold onto the disc as she fell to the ground. The score gave the PUL a break and extended its lead to four.
#5 – Abby Thorpe
With just 1:26 left and the PUL up by four, the WUL still had a little pizazz left. Abby Thorpe launched a cross-endzone hammer to Helen Eifert, who laid out for a pancake catch and somehow kept the disc in bounds.
This game was an encapsulation of the PUL and WUL seasons, bringing together players who spent the year competing against different opponents, in different leagues, and on different sides of the rivalry. It was a fitting way to see these players back on the field together one more time. Now, we wait until next year.
