Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

By Aaron Megar

The Terps had an easy time taking care of the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, beating them 12-5 for their seventh straight win. Maryland has made a clear presence in the Big Ten thus far, beating both of their opponents handedly in a conference that they are sure to dominate.

Sophomore superstar Matt Rambo led the victory, scoring three and assisting for two more goals in his second straight hat trick and his fifth of the season. Maryland out-shot Penn State by 30, and also picked up 11 more ground balls than their opponents.

The team played their best in the first quarter, opening the game with a long two-minute possession before attackman Dylan Maltz scored the game’s first goal. The Terps scored again on their next possession when Rambo assisted Jay Carlson, and after only 5 minutes had passed, Rambo put in his first goal to put the Terps up 3-0. Maryland went on to score five more in the quarter, which ended with a Penn State goal and an 8-2 scoreboard.

After a scoreless second quarter, goals from Rambo and sophomore Colin Heacock were unanswered by Penn State in the third, and another two goals in the forth quarter were only matched by their opponent, leaving the Terps with a seven goal victory at Byrd Stadium.

The Terps offense on Saturday was extremely patient, holding out long possessions and waiting for good scoring opportunities. When scoring efforts failed, the defense was quick to put pressure on Penn State, making them work to clear the ball and causing nine turnovers and once again showcasing their league-topping defense.

Maryland will face Loyola at Byrd Stadium on Wednesday before closing out their Big Ten campaign with Rutgers, Ohio State, and Johns Hopkins.