Carly Hynd received a long pass down the left flank just over five minutes in. There was an abundance of space between Hynd and the cage, which the forward used to draw out goalkeeper Kelsey Felix.

Hynd calmly lofted a shot over Felix. No. 5 Maryland field hockey took a one-goal advantage over Lock Haven — starting an explosion as the Terps utterly dominated.

Maryland scored six more goals following Hynd’s score. It surpassed its season total entering Sunday, crushing the Bald Eagles 8-1 at home.

Kylee Niswonger led the charge for Maryland despite having just two career goals entering Sunday’s game. She more than doubled that total by putting three past the Bald Eagles.

“It was all because of my teammates,” Niswonger said. “They were feeding me the ball. I couldn’t ask for a better day.”

The Bald Eagles provided the initial score off a penalty corner just over a minute into the game.

Maryland (4-2) cleared the first chance behind the baseline to set up a second effort for Lock Haven (1-5). A scrum ensued in front of the Terps’ cage following the entry pass, then midfielder Elien Bos turned in a close-range change to give the Bald Eagles a surprising 1-0 lead — they entered the day out-scored by 18 goals this season.

[Late-game score propels No. 3 Virginia to 1-0 win over No. 5 Maryland field hockey]

“I think we were not expecting it at all,” Ericka Morris-Adams said. “When it did happen, we reset, we rechecked, and I think we came back strong.”

Maryland’s response came less than a minute later.

Fleur Knopert dribbled the ball along the baseline, drawing Felix away from the center of her goal as she moved to cover her near post. With the shot stopper slightly out of position, Knopert sent a pass into the middle of the shooting circle. Niswonger got a crucial deflection on the pass for the equalizer.

Hynd scored the go-ahead goal just three minutes later. While the game eventually got away for Lock Haven, a herculean effort from Felix kept the contest close before halftime.

Felix made an astounding nine saves in the first half despite Maryland’s offense spending nearly the entire second quarter in the Bald Eagles’ half of the field. Just one goal separated the two sides as they went to the break.

Coach Missy Meharg said that she was most pleased with her team’s coachability, evident in the way that the Terps responded after the break – they scored half of their total tally in the third quarter.

“We were carrying [the ball] a little too much in the second quarter,” Niswonger said. “We just really wanted to focus on what we do best. That’s passing.”

Maryland’s first second-half goal came just 45 seconds into the frame.

[Maryland field hockey’s attack has good depth, but no go-to scorer]

Morris-Adams split two Bald Eagles defenders with a pass to Annemijn Klijnhout down the right flank. The freshman midfielder dribbled into the shooting circle, playing a pass that nearly went in the goal on its own. Knopert got the final touch just inches in front of the cage for the score.

A trio of goals followed for the Terps.

Niswonger scored her second goal of the afternoon after deflecting in a penalty corner. The efficiency continued three minutes later as Alina Gerke turned in a second chance score. Ellie Goldstein finished off the quarter with a backhanded goal.

Leah Horwitz added a seventh score midway through the final quarter and Niswonger added another in the final seconds for a hat-trick. Maryland bounced back from two straight losses with its most dominant win of the season.

“I think [we showed] that we are a team that can score, because I think we struggled in the previous games to show that,” Morris-Adams said. “I think this game just gave us the confidence going into next Friday.”