No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse came into its Friday night matchup against Delaware having not won a game in 27 days and riding a three-game losing streak.

After its worst start to a season since 1993, Maryland looked to get right against a struggling Delaware team. 

The Terps did just that, beating Delaware in an all-around performance en route to a 13-8 win.

The win comes at a big time for Maryland. The hope is that Friday proves to be a get-right game for the Terps. 

Friday was a much-needed win as the schedule only gets tougher. The Terps go right back to playing top teams to finish out the regular season. No. 17 Virginia is next on the schedule, with Big Ten play starting following the matchup with the Cavaliers. 

Every Big Ten team is either ranked or receiving votes at this point in the season, and with three losses already, the Terps can ill-afford to drop many more as they look to stay in the playoff picture.

Maryland’s offense wasted no time. Braden Erksa put the Terps ahead just over a minute into the game and added a second first-quarter goal. 

The offense generated easy shots on goal, with four different Terps scoring before Delaware could get its first of the game. They were led by a three-headed monster throughout. Erksa, Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson powered the Terps attack, combining to score 10 of the team’s 13 goals. 

Johnson has led the Maryland offense this season and added six points to his total with three goals and three assists on Friday. 

Erksa finished with three goals and three assists of his own, setting a season high in points. Lyons had four goals on just six shots, while not committing a turnover.

Aiding the offense was a dominating performance from the faceoff duo of Henry Dodge and Jonah Carrier. They combined for 16 wins in 24 face-offs to give the Terps much-needed possessions. Dodge led the way and won nine of his 12 attempts from the spot, while Carrier won seven of 12.

On defense, goalie Brian Rueppel had his best performance of the season. Rueppel made 11 total saves, good for a 57.9% save percentage. 

Rueppel made multiple incredible saves throughout the game. Despite the Blue Hens ability to attempt close shots, Rueppel held firm. 

Powered by Rueppel, Maryland held an opponent under 10 goals for the first time all-season. 

Maryland scored its most goals since its win against Loyola, but it was not all positive. Turnovers held back the attack for another game. The Terps had 19 for the game, making it difficult to find a consistent rhythm after the hot start. Nine different Maryland players committed a turnover. 

The lack of ball security led to big runs in Maryland’s losses to Princeton and Notre Dame, allowing Delaware to get its offense going. The Blue Hens scored three straight goals twice throughout the game, preventing the Terps from getting too far ahead.  

The second of the two runs stretched from the third quarter into the fourth, where the Terps’ lead shrank to four.  

But it didn’t get any closer, as Maryland tacked on an insurance goal to clinch its second win of the season. 

Having not missed the NCAA tournament since 2002, Maryland needs to start performing against the top opponents on its schedule if the Terps want to keep that streak alive.