Midway through the second quarter, freshman midfielder Sophie Klautz created space and pushed the ball into the net, as no Drexel player could disrupt the shot. Klautz, scoring her first collegiate goal in her Terps debut, raised her stick in the air as that goal put the Terps up 3-0.
Klautz’s two-goal outing propelled No. 4 Maryland field hockey (1-0) to a 7-1 season-opening victory against Drexel (0-1).
The Terps’ six-goal margin of victory is the team’s largest in a season opener since 2006 and the most goals they scored since an 8-2 victory last season against Indiana on Sept. 24.
The game started as a defensive battle throughout the first quarter with only three shots and one penalty corner combined, all coming from Maryland, but the Terps’ offense found its groove in the second quarter.
“I think the first quarter we were kind of getting into it, a slow start but we really picked it up well in the second quarter,” midfielder Danielle van Rootselaar said. “I think we had a great passing game and we were patient and capitalized on the opportunities that we got.”
Early in the second quarter forward Hope Rose opted to pass the ball to midfielder Emma DeBerdine, instead of taking a shot off the corner. DeBerdine was all alone and snuck the ball into the net for the first goal of her senior season.
Two minutes later, Rose scored her first goal of the season, chipping the ball up into the far side of the net for an unassisted goal, doubling the Terps’ lead.
The Terps entered halftime leading 3-0 as Drexel’s offense was unable to muster anything in the first half. The Terps’ defense had squandered any opportunity for the Dragons.
Maryland’s offense continued to pummel Drexel throughout the second half as their penalty corner offense was lethal. The Terps’ attack converted on four of their ten penalty corners.
“I think we’re strong and I think we’ve got a great presence,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “I think people look out at the top and go yikes what’s going to come. So I think it has that dominance about it.”
Klautz scored her second goal of the game, driving the ball into the circle and creating space, sending a rocket into the back of the net, giving Maryland a 4-0 lead with 11:22 left in the third quarter.
Four minutes later, forward Margot Lawn deflected Rose’s shot into the net off a penalty corner to make it 5-0.
Later in the third quarter, Rose scored her second goal of the game off another penalty corner to make it 6-0.
Rose finished the game with two goals, and two assists and led the team in shots with six.
Christina Calandra started in goal for the Terps but wasn’t tested much in the game’s first 40 minutes before getting subbed out in favor of Paige Kieft.
Seconds after Kieft entered the game, Drexel earned their first penalty corner of the game and Kieft saved the Dragons’ first shot of the game with a kick-save, and the second one missed wide.
“They’re both playing well and just keep competing and training and making sure we’re getting better and better by that competition and play it by ear every match,” Meharg said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Van Rootselaar joined the offensive explosion, scoring her first Maryland goal on another Terps’ penalty corner, pushing Maryland ahead by seven. Van Rootselaar finished with five shots in her Terps debut.
Drexel got on the board a minute later when forward Avery Powell scored off a penalty corner with 12 minutes left. The Dragons finished the game with three shots while the Terps recorded 25.
The Terps will look to move to 2-0 on Monday against Stanford.
