Maryland women's lacrosse vs. Hofstra final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps' 20-5 win

Junior captain and midfielder Zoe Stukenberg scored on a free position goal 37 seconds into the game and Maryland women's lacrosse never looked back, crushing Hofstra, 20-5, on Saturday afternoon.

It was all Maryland in the first half. The Terrapins scored five goals in the first 3:45. Zoe Stukenberg picked up a hat trick in just 4:48 to make the score 6-0. 10 minutes in, it was 9-0 in favor of the two-time defending national champs. Hofstra finally scored with just a little over five minutes left to play in the first half, but the game was effectively over. Maryland went into halftime with a 12-1 lead. "We want to keep getting better each game," star sophomore Megan Whittle said after the game. "We had a great game all-around."

The Terrapins put the Pride goalies under siege with 19 shots in the first half and 30 for the game. Hofstra only managed three shots in the game's first 30 minutes. Nine different players scored for Cathy Reese's squad and four of them picked up hat tricks. "Everybody contributed, which is great to see," Reese said after the game. "It was a fun day...It was a complete effort in that we saw a lot from everybody."

Sophomore Kacie Longo had what might be the best game of her young Maryland career, scoring three goals, one of which came off of a fantastic shot-fake. Reese said, "She has so much potential, but I don't think she's realized it yet...She's going to continue to get better and better as she gains confidence in herself." Longo said the game has slowed down for her in her second season. "I'm feeling more comfortable with being out there because last year I was really nervous."

The Terps put together one of their most complete efforts of the season this afternoon. They'll need that effort and consistency as they head on the road for three straight road games, all against ranked teams.

Three things to know

1. This game was over after the first 10 minutes

The Terrapins led 9-0 after 10 minutes. By the time Hofstra got on the board, it was 12-1, and the outcome of the game had, for all intents and purposes, already been decided. The last time Maryland scored 20 or more goals in a game was April 19th, 2014, when they beat Virginia Tech at home, 22-12.

2.  Maryland showcased its strength and speed

Hofstra had no answer for Maryland's attackers. The Pride committed 24 fouls in the first half alone. That led to 10 free position shots for the Terrapins. They took advantage, converting seven of those ten chances. "Every day in practice, we're working on eight meters. The coaches say it's a free throw. You've got to be able to make it...We did a good job on capitalizing on those," said Whittle after the game.

3. The Terrapins came out strong in the second half

Maryland didn't open its second halves against Georgetown or UNC with the kind of urgency that Maryland will need to win its third straight national championship. The Terps came out  with the kind of intensity and attention to detail that they started the game with, scoring four goals in the first five minutes of the second half.