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John Tillman brought in Inside Lacrosse's top recruiting class in men's lacrosse this season, and it appears to be paying off early. True freshman Matt Rambo, considered the top attacker in the previous high school class, scored four goals in his collegiate debut to lead the Terps to a 16-3 victory over in-state rival Mount St. Mary's.
The Terps took a very early lead, scoring just over a minute into the contest, when senior Mike Chanenchuk capitalized on the opening face-off win by scoring Maryland's first goal of the year. The Terps actually started the game on a 5-0 run, with additional goals by Connor Cannizzaro, Jay Carlson, Rambo and Cornell transfer Henry West.
Mount Saint Mary's responded with two goals of their own, ending the first quarter at a closer-than-anticipated 5-2 Maryland lead.
The Terps put thing safely out of reach in the second quarter, with six unanswered goals in the period. Rambo recorded two of those goals, giving him a hat trick in his first-ever game as a Terrapin, and Chanenchuk scored as well for his second goal.
In the third period, the combination of Rambo and Chanechuk struck again, each tallying an additional goal -- giving Rambo four on the day and Chanenchuk a hat trick. Carlson also ended up with a hat-trick on the day, with all three of them securing that feat before the end of the third quarter. The Terps led 15-3 heading into the final period, and a last-second goal by Ben Chisolm made it 16-3.
Rambo also added two assists (leading the team), and was very impressive throughout the game in his debut. When talking to Todd, Coach Tillman said there were still some questions to figure out with the attacking group. If the opener is any sign, the Terps are looking closer to some answers.
