It has been a strong start to the season for No. 7 Maryland field hockey. It was looking for its first 5-0 start since 2022 against Towson on Friday night.

The Terps’ early-season domination continued, as they cruised to a 6-0 win over the Tigers in an all-around victory.

It was a slow first half. Despite 13 first-half shot attempts, the Terps could not capitalize. 

The Terps had two goals disallowed, including one taken away after confusion over ball possession, leading to a scoreless first half.

However, after halftime, the Terps’ freshman turned it up a notch, scoring four goals in the third quarter. 

Freshman forward Jordyn Hollamon scored three, with the first being her first collegiate goal.

Hollamon’s hat trick came late in the third quarter, amidst the Terps third quarter explosion.

Scoring a hat trick is rare for a freshman, let alone in the same game in which one scores their first-ever goal.

Before Friday, the most recent hat trick scored for the Terps was by Kylee Niswonger in 2024.

Also, freshman midfielder Kendall Gilmore recorded her first-ever collegiate goal with a lift over the sliding goalie shortly after Hollamon’s first goal midway through the third quarter.

Continuing the game of firsts for the Terps, midfielder Ella Fehr recorded her first goal of the season. It came in the fourth quarter, off of one of Maryland’s astounding 15 corner opportunities. 

Along with the goal, Fehr had three assists on Friday, demonstrating her offensive versatility.

Capping off a thrilling second half by Maryland, forward Babs van Hest scored a turnaround shot on a late entry into the circle, right by the goalie. The goal came nearly 11 minutes after van Hest was awarded a green card penalty.

Coach Missy Meharg gave her senior goalie Alyssa Klebasko a much-deserved break after a thrilling shootout win over No. 6 Duke on Sunday.

That allowed sophomore Ryleigh Osborne to step into net and make her first career start for the Terps.

For Mehrag, it was a confident decision to start Osborne against the Tigers. 

“Because she’s trained and that good. She’s been here a long time… her growth over the past four weeks has been phenomenal, and she’s deserved it,” Mehrag said.

Osborne faced a total of two shots with two saves, playing a full sixty minutes and bringing her save percentage to 1.000 for the season so far.

After a thrilling second half by the Terps, Maryland now looks to take on a struggling 2-3 Saint Joseph’s team on Sunday before heading into the start of conference play against Penn State on Thursday in State College.

Maryland’s unbeaten start has been powered by different players stepping up in each game.

Although leading goal scorer Francisca Eschoyez did not score Friday, others came through.

The Terps freshman took over, turning a scoreless first half into a dominant win.