As a freshman last year, Maryland field hockey midfielder Linnea Gonzales didn’t need much of an adjustment period to the college game. She started in every game and scored a goal in the first game of the year.

By the end of the season, she had 10 goals, three assists, three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, a second-team all-conference spot and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.

But entering this weekend — four games into her sophomore season — Gonzales hadn’t tallied a point for the Terps.

By Monday, though, she was the team’s third-leading scorer. She scored two goals against both California and American and added an assist against the Eagles.

“Everybody, when they go from that freshman year to a sophomore, has a little bit of a sophomore ‘Where do I belong?’ [adjustment period],” coach Missy Meharg said.

For Gonzales, that was a pertinent question at the beginning of this year.

The Bel Air native spent her rookie year playing forward, which is also her primary position on the USA U-21 Team. The Maryland coaching staff wanted to move her to midfield this season, but she was splitting time between the positions during the early part of the year.

After seeing her play this past weekend, though, Meharg had no hesitations about where she belongs.

“She’s a side midfielder,” Meharg said.

Not only was there an adjustment period to the new position, but she’s also had to learn to balance her shot selection with the midfield’s passing emphasis.

After averaging 3.65 shots per game as a freshman, Gonzales took just 1.5 shots per game in the first four games this year.

“Sometimes it’s a little harder to score from there,” midfielder Lein Holsboer said.

As Gonzales showed against Cal and American, though, it’s not impossible. She had three and five shots in Saturday and Sunday’s games, respectively.

Much of those came thanks to her natural skill set, as she often weaved her way through multiple defenders to create shot opportunities, showing off what Holsboer called “the most beautiful pulls.”

Gonzales said another factor was gaining confidence surrounded by teammates in her new position.

“[Early in the season] I was just thinking more of focusing on … getting the system down,” she said. “Now I feel more comfortable … I know what I’m doing, so I’m just ready to play.”

From the midfield, Gonzales is expected to make passes across the field in addition to receiving back passes and taking shots from the edge of the circle.

She executed those roles this weekend, scoring from distance in both games and earning her assist on a long shot that forward Welma Luus knocked into the cage with an overhead effort.

“She had an amazing weekend,” Luus said. “She’s really getting comfortable and playing the way she wants to play.”

Gonzales attributed her success to her teammates’ play and communication. Holsboer helped open scoring looks, Luus finished her off-target shot and the defense kept in constant communication.

Plus, as Gonzales feels more comfortable, her teammates will know what to expect from her.

“Now, she is Linnea,” Meharg said. “And this is how we know Linnea. She has her marker, and she can play like this.”

But Gonzales and her teammates don’t expect her performances against Cal and American to be her peak.

“She had a great freshman year, but I think we can expect a lot more from her this year,” Luus said. “She’s really coming into her own.”