Maryland women’s lacrosse struggled offensively in each of its first two games of the season, only scoring nine goals both times out.

The Terps surpassed that mark less than three minutes into the third quarter against Saint Joseph’s. Chrissy Thomas fed Kayla Gilmore off a free position attempt, who quickly tossed the ball to Shelby Sullivan. The freshman attacker ripped a shot past goalkeeper Jorden Concordia to complete a hat trick.

Sullivan was one of three Terps to score three or more goals on Saturday, leading an excellent offensive display to cruise past the Hawks, 18-7, on Friday at The Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

“I think you we spent a lot of time these past couple days just really breaking down the pieces of our offense,” coach Cathy Reese said. “I thought our offense did a nice job of moving the ball. They kept their sticks sharp, we were patient … once we were a little more calm and a little more disciplined, we found openings.”

While the Maryland (2-1) offense finished with a strong showing, the unit struggled to start the game. The Terps produced eight shots but struggled to score on Concordia. Their defense and midfield play shined, smothering Saint Joseph’s (1-4) into seven first-quarter turnovers to let the offense stabilize.

Reese said Friday the offense had players open against Georgetown but didn’t deliver on passes because of a lack of trust due to the unit’s inexperience. Its passing was on full display on Saturday.

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The Terps’ second goal came on a quick pass to an unmarked player, and their third was similar.

Sophomore midfielder Lexi Dupcak tried to angle her way toward the front of the net in the opening minute of the quarter but was met by a wall of black jerseys. Dupcak quickly kicked a pass out to Thomas.

A trio of Hawks crashed to the graduate student attacker, but she calmly tossed the ball to an unmarked Maisy Clevenger. The sophomore attacker quickly ripped a shot past Concordia to extend Maryland’s advantage to 3-0.

In addition to more decisive passing, Reese wanted the offense to produce more fast breaks after draws to prevent the opposing defense from getting set. The Terps scored three times within the first three minutes of the second quarter, all on quick looks.

Thomas circled around the left side of the net shortly after controlling a draw. She looked toward freshman midfielder Devin Livingston, drawing a defender to let Sullivan cut unmarked in front of the net. Thomas looked off Livingston and tossed a pass to Sullivan, who scored uncontested.

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Thomas was crucial to Maryland’s first-half success, often standing behind the net at the X position. She struck for the final goal of Maryland’s quick second-quarter spurt.

“She’s amazing,” Clevenger said. “I think that the way that she dodges before she passes is an amazing thing that she has.”

Thomas tallied three first half points. She finished the game with two assists, increasing her total to nine within the first three games of the season

The Terps’ offense remained hot in the second half, unlike against Georgetown. They recorded ten second-half goals, courtesy of seven different players.

One of the biggest reasons for Maryland’s offensive success was its lack of turnovers. The Terps turned over the ball 36 times in its first two games but recorded just six against the Hawks, and only one in the second half.

“We turned the ball over way too many times in our last couple games,” Reese said. “[It’s been] something I’ve been kind of harping on and leaning on these guys about but today we were much sharper and … took better care of it all over the field.”

Maryland will look to carry its offensive success into the final game of its four-game homestand against Denver next Saturday.