Maryland field hockey dominates Pacific, 3-0, to start season

Maryland field hockey opened its 2018 campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Pacific on Friday night.

It was a breakout performance for Nike Lorenz, a junior defender who joined the No. 4 Terps this offseason. The German national team member tossed up a hat trick in the first half of her NCAA debut, and she easily paced Maryland with seven shots and six shots on goal.

As a team, Maryland was dominant. The Terps fired 25 shots and placed 10 on target while facing just two shots (one on goal) on the other end of the field. Five Terps recorded at least three shots, and while Pacific goalkeeper Marlise Van Tonder posted 10 saves, it wasn’t nearly enough. In Maryland’s net, senior Sarah Holliday pitched one of the easiest shutouts of her career.

The game remained scoreless for 16:16 before Lorenz went off, scoring three goals in under 10 minutes. Madison Maguire earned assists on the first two goals, with Kelee Lepage also chipping in on the second score in the 19th minute. Redshirt freshman Mayv Clune—the No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class—picked up her first college assist on Lorenz’s third goal at the 25:53 mark.

Maryland remained in control through the end of the first half, and continued to pile up shots on the other side of the intermission. While the Terps didn’t find the net in the second half, they didn’t allow Pacific to find any semblance of a rhythm.

The Terps will remain on the West Coast through Monday, with their next game coming Sunday at 3 p.m. ET against California.

Three things to know

1. Nike Lorenz has arrived. As if Maryland wasn’t already returning the young core of the team that made a run to last year’s national championship game, the Terps have another weapon on board with international experience. Lorenz won a bronze medal with Germany in the 2016 Olympics and a gold medal at this year’s Indoor World Cup in Berlin. So far, it’s been a seamless transition to Maryland.

2. It’s another season-opening win. The Terps picked up their 23rd consecutive win to start the year, and they’re now 41-3-2 all-time in season openers. Maryland also improved to 5-0 all-time against Pacific, although this wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the 11-2 shellacking in College Park from the teams’ previous meeting in 2010.

3. The Terps still have a busy weekend ahead. Maryland will return to action Sunday against California, then play another game in Berkeley the following afternoon against UC Davis. It’s a more compact schedule than they’ll see the rest of the way, but with three unranked opponents on the slate, it’ll be important for the Terps to take care of business.