COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 7 Maryland men’s soccer team continued its torrid offensive pace Saturday night, trumping NC State, 3-1, at Ludwig Field in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

 

Senior Jason Herrick paced Maryland (3-1-1, 1-0-1 ACC) with two goals.  Freshman Patrick Mullins tacked on his first two career assists as the Terps notched their first win in conference play in 2010.

 

Maryland’s opening strike came in the 28th minute with a Herrick score.  The forward from Elmhurst, Ill., took advantage of a convenient rebound off Wolfpack keeper Will Mackvick following a Matt Kassel blast from 15-yards out.

 

Casey Townsend added to the Terrapin lead a mere 25 seconds later.  Mullins served his first assist from the far sideline to Townsend, who headed the ball to the right corner for a 2-0 match at 28:03.

 

Herrick cushioned Maryland’s lead to three with a goal at 51:10.  Matt Kassel’s corner kick was relayed via header by Mullins, which then found Herrick close-range for the score.

 

Maryland, which outshot the Wolfpack, 16-8, has now notched 16 goals through five matches, its best offensive start since 2005.

 

“I thought we got off to a little bit of a slow start but then we really came together,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said.  “We had two really nice goals in a short period of time.

 

“ACC games are always tough and we’ll take this win and move on.”

 

The Terps play host to George Mason Tuesday in its next outing.  The match, which is the 1,000th in program history, is slated for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.