By Connor Bell

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland — Exactly eight months and 12 days since the Terps last played lacrosse in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the national championship, they opened up the 2018 season with a 10-4 win against Navy.

The Terps showed little signs of a championship hangover Saturday, as senior midfielder Tim Rotanz scored the first goal unassisted within the first minute of play.

Pace of play would only ramp up after the first goal, as each shot that went over or around the goal for Maryland and Navy resulted in players diving in front of each other in order to keep possession and their attacks alive.

It took seven minutes before the 1-0 score changed, when a pair of goals by Ethan Mintzer and Jared Bernhardt made it 3-0 for Maryland with two minutes left in the first.

Navy almost made up ground in the final two minutes of the first as Midshipmen’s Dave Little went five-hole on Maryland goalie Dan Morris just 37 seconds after the Bernhardt goal. Miscommunication by Morris and a fellow defenseman allowed Navy to scoop up a loose ball and cash in another goal with eight seconds left in the first.

The second quarter was fairly even on both sides, with both teams tallying eight shots, but two of Maryland’s found their way into the back of the net. Freshman midfielder Bubba Fairman scored his first career goal off of veteran midfielder Connor Kelly’s assist. Jared Bernhardt stripped the ball out of Navy Goalie Ryan Kern’s stick, allowing Kelly to score a wide-open goal from near midfield.

Navy head coach Rick Sowell praised the Terps defense.

“Our shots were a lot harder to come by… they played great defense, at the end of the day you just got to tip your hat,” Sowell said. “They timed the slides very well and we had a small window to find the guy open. I think it was more of their defense playing well. They made it tough.”

Despite Maryland’s defense, Navy actually outshot the Terps 32-31, which speaks to the kind of performance Morris had with 11 saves.

The second half began much like the first, as the Terps scored three in a row before Navy responded with two goals with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Fairman added two more goals for his first career hat trick in his first game as a Terp. Fellow freshman Logan Wisnauskas also notched his first goal.

“It could be someone new every week that steps up,” Maryland coach John Tillman said of his Freshmen’s performance. “I think that’s the way this team will be built, again it may not be as many household names, but we just try and find ways to win and whatever we need to do these kids have shown they’re willing to do.”

The Terps ended the game by shutting out the Midshipmen in the fourth quarter, tallying two more goals from Tim Rotanz — earning his hat trick before— the final horn blew.

Navy fell to (0-2) but are “close” to a win according to Sowell and Maryland starts off (1-0) with a quick turnaround game to come Tuesday in College Park against the Marist Red Foxes.