Midfielder Griffin Dillon, already having scored a goal in the 14th minute, sent a looping ball to midfielder Justin Harris who was leaking out past midfield.
Harris raced up the field with goalkeeper Adam Vik — the only obstacle between his path and the goal. The senior sent a rocket off his right foot and through the top of the net, running towards the corner flag with a smile across his face.
Just 34 minutes into the action, the Terps held a dominant 3-0 lead over the Fightin’ Blue Hens.
The first half onslaught, which also saw No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer hold Delaware to zero shot attempts, set the tone for a commanding 4-1 win over Delaware.
“Keeping that defensive discipline, defensive energy was really our key,” defender Chris Rindov said. “I think we just eliminated giving up those sloppy chances that were on us not as much as [opponents] creating.”
For Maryland, goalkeeper Jamie Lowell made his first start since Old Dominion on Sept. 30, giving senior Niklas Neumann some rest in advance of Sunday’s conference match against Indiana.
Freshman defender Brian St. Martin, brother of former Terp and team captain Brett St. Martin, made the first start of his young career.
Delaware, ranked 143 in RPI, faced an uphill battle in one of the most unkind atmospheres to opponents in college soccer.
The scoring started early for the Terps when in the 14th minute of play, Dillon connected on Maryland’s second shot attempt.
Forward Hunter George sent a beautiful cross from the left side of the field to a cutting Dillon, who headed the ball in for a score.
Dillon — who had three opportunities in the last match against Michigan State but couldn’t capitalize — made his first attempt of the night count to get the Terps on the board.
“It felt great,” Dillon said. “Great ball from Hunter [George]. I didn’t really have to do much, that ball was served on a platter for me. So all I had to do was redirect it on goal.”
Just 10 minutes later, the Terps doubled their lead when forward Stefan Copetti scored a header off a pass from forward Joshua Bolma. The goal was Copetti’s fourth of the season on his 27th shot attempt.
The scoring continued for Maryland in the 44th minute with Harris’ goal. The senior found the back of the net on a breakaway, which extended the Maryland lead to three scores. The goal was Harris’ second of the season.
The three unanswered goals for the Terps were accompanied by zero shot attempts for the Blue Hens in the first half, extending Maryland’s streak of not allowing a shot attempt to three straight halves.
“I thought in the first half, we picked up exactly where we left off with Michigan State,” coach Sasho Cirovski said.
Delaware’s first shot attempt came in the 51st minute from forward Sam Donnellan. The freshman took a shot from about 30 yards out but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Delaware midfielder Orri Thorhallsson scored a late goal in the 86th minute to give the Blue Hens a chance, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
The Blue Hens put up four more shot attempts in the half to bring their total to five, but they failed to put much pressure on Maryland’s tough backline.
For Maryland, defender Mack DeVries found a last-minute goal in the 88th minute to bring the Terps’ lead back to three.
Following the dominant first half, the Terps didn’t face much resistance en route to the 4-1 victory.
Maryland finishes up its regular season slate with an away match against Indiana on Sunday, a bout with heavy ramifications on seeding for the Big Ten tournament.
With Ohio State’s defeat of Michigan State on Tuesday night, the Buckeyes now only trail Maryland by one point and can overtake the number one spot with a win at Wisconsin on Sunday.
However, Maryland controls its own destiny as it could retake the number one spot with a victory over Indiana to claim the Big Ten regular season trophy.
“It’s obviously very exciting,” Dillon said. “I think Indiana is one of the biggest teams in the Big Ten, probably our biggest rival … I think we got to go there and get a good performance, and I think we’re capable of doing that.”
