Lil Yachty’s music blasted through the speakers in Maryland women’s soccer’s locker room. After six games, the Terps found their pregame routine with an extensive, lively playlist.
“One of the songs I think is ‘NBAYoungBoat,’” co-captain Katie Coyle said. “Lauren Wrigley, every time the song comes on, she screams the entire song for like the full two minutes, start to finish.”
With slow starts in their last few games, the Terps hope high energy in the locker room will translate onto the field. The jam-out sesh is just one of the pregame rituals the team created during the start of the season — all of which indicate a positive culture shift for Maryland.
Sunday marked the first time since Aug. 18 against Stony Brook that Maryland scored a goal in the first half. The Terps also couldn’t find the back of the net until the last 17 minutes in a possession-heavy game against Navy on Aug. 29.
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But the reserved team exploded in the first half against George Mason. Taryn Raibon scored the first goal within 15 minutes. Coyle, a senior left-back, notched her second collegiate goal after taking the ball from Maryland’s defensive third just more than 30 minutes into Sunday’s game.
Although the Terps came up short on Sunday, unable to defend George Mason’s three shots, the loss didn’t come from a lack of offensive energy. Maryland took 20 shots — a season-high just seven games into the year.
“I think we continue to talk about finding our identity, and I think with every game, we’ve had to face a different kind of style,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “What I’m really excited about is to see how we’re blending how we play, but also utilizing what the opponents are giving us.”
The Terps took time at the beginning of the season to develop individual and team identities, according to Nemzer. She now believes the team has reached a comfort level in its roles on the field and in the locker room.
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“Well, I hear them when we are getting ready for film. There’s a very thin wall and I think there are dance parties that are going on before training, ” Nemzer said. “We’ve challenged them to not only have energy on game days, but also during training and I think they’ve done a really good job with that.”
On the field, Kennadie Marchand and Faith Luckey lead a pregame chant passed down by veteran Terps to unite players right before game time. Off the field, the “give me my money” practical TikTok joke played on an assistant coach brings laughter — not only to keep teammates close, but to fuel energy during matches.
“I know sometimes when the season starts and things start to settle in with playing time things can tend to get distant between people, or there’s a little bit of tension,” Coyle said. “But it doesn’t feel that way on the team.”
