When the Maryland men’s lacrosse team suffered an upset loss against Villanova in its previous home contest on March 18, defensive midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen sat at the postgame press conference with a glum expression and acknowledged “most people right now are sad” in the Terps’ locker room.

So, during Saturday’s Big Ten opener against No. 19 Michigan at Maryland Stadium, the players hoped to translate a positive display from a road win at North Carolina last weekend into an improved home outcome against the Wolverines.

No. 9 Maryland used a quick start from its balanced attack to help claim a 15-8 victory, its second consecutive win following back-to-back losses in mid-March.

“That Villanova loss kind of woke us up,” goalkeeper Dan Morris said. “We pride ourselves on winning, especially at Maryland Stadium. After a win, especially at home, we’re always pumped up.”

Morris built on a Big Ten Specialist of the Week performance in Chapel Hill with 12 saves and a .600 save percentage against Michigan, holding the Wolverines to eight scores.

Meanwhile, attackman Dylan Maltz and midfielders Connor Kelly and Jared Bernhardt notched hat tricks to help Maryland reach double-digit goals for the third straight game.

When Kelly was in high school, Michigan coach John Paul said he “recruited the heck out of him.” After watching him produce four points against his Wolverines, the coach wished the midfielder had joined him in Ann Arbor.

“We love [Kelly],” Paul said. “”He’s gotten so much better. He has always been good … Now when we’re watching him on film, you know where that guy is.”

Much like it did at North Carolina, Maryland dominated the opening frame with an explosive attacking performance. After netting six times in the first quarter against the Tar Heels, the Terps scored seven first-frame goals against the Wolverines, a season high for any period. All six starting attackmen and midfielders registered at least one point in the first 15 minutes.

“In the first quarter we did a really good job of just sharing and moving,” Tillman said. “Just trusting that if we kept the ball flowing and played at a rhythm, and guys just moved off ball, we’d get some opportunities.”

With the Terps (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) up, 4-2, a pair of slick moves in the offensive zone helped them build a cushion over the Wolverines (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten).

Midfielder Tim Rotanz received pass in the midfield and weaved through a series of Michigan defenders before converting a running bounce shot. Then, after Rambo notched his 18th goal of the campaign, Bernhardt faked a defender with a spin move and fed Kelly for another score.

Maryland entered the second half with a 9-4 lead. Despite conceding less than two minutes into the third quarter, the squad regrouped to maintain a comfortable advantage for the remainder of the contest.

Less than two minutes after Bernhardt registered his hat trick midway through the third period, Maltz received a pass from Rambo in a wide-open position in front of the net and scored his third goal to extend Maryland’s lead to 11-5.

Though the Terps were outscored, 3-2, in the fourth period, they completed their first Big Ten win of the campaign. Since joining the conference two years ago, they have a 10-1 league record.

After an intense nonconference victory over North Carolina last weekend that included four unnecessary roughness penalties, Tillman praised his squad for returning with focus and energy against Michigan.

“I’m proud of our guys to follow up a game last week which you could sense … there was a lot of emotion involved,” Tillman said.