Maryland women’s soccer hosted No. 20 Penn State Thursday in its first game under interim coach Michael Marchiano.
The Nittany Lions, who ranked seventh in the Big Ten in points entering the night, jumped out to a one-score lead in the first period and extended that in the next half. They defeated the Terps, 5-0, at Ludwig Field.
The program parted ways with coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer earlier in the day, Maryland athletics announced in a release.
“I feel upset like the rest of the group,” Marchiano said. “It’s a difficult situation, but we have to move forward. And our focus is going to be on how we create the best experience over the next couple of weeks for these girls.”
Nemzer headed the program since 2022 and compiled a 10-25-14 record. Maryland failed to score a goal in its last 16 Big Ten matches under Nemzer — that streak continued Thursday.
The Terps connected on an array of passes to move the ball up the field and earned a corner in the eighth minute.
Emily Lenhard set up for the corner. The ball soared into the box and found Taryn Raibon, deflecting off the freshman’s head and over the crossbar.
[Coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer to leave Maryland women’s soccer]
While the shot was off-target, it was Maryland’s first time notching the initial shot attempt in a Big Ten game this season. The Terps’ next corner came six minutes later – they held the momentum early.
Penn State quickly took over with its first score in the 18th minute. A clash between a Nittany Lion attacker and Maryland defender Tahirah Turnage-Morales deflected the ball in the direction of Kaitlyn MacBean. MacBean aimed a quick shot to the bottom left of the net and converted, putting one on the board early.
Maryland midfielder Lauren Wrigley established herself as a stalwart from the start. The senior acted as a backboard for the attack, moving herself to receive any loose balls or to double team.
Wrigley fired a far shot into the box in the 41st minute but missed high-left. Defender Katie Coyle had another just a minute later.
While Maryland held possession for the majority of the first half, Penn State’s quick score proved to be detrimental. At the half, Maryland earned five shots to Penn State’s four.
“Being able to stay that close with that high level of a team, it gave us a lot of confidence,” senior goalkeeper Liz Beardsley said. “I think we were able to translate that into the beginning of the second half.”
Taryn Raibon set up for a corner, positioning herself against Molly Martin. The ball rose into the box as the players started their route to the net, but the Penn State midfielder got ahead.
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Jumping in the air, Martin threw her head toward the ball and slammed it into the top right corner. Beardsley’s dive fell short and the Terps’ deficit deepened by two.
Beardsley and the backline faced a flurry of shots in the 69th minute. Throwing their bodies on the ground and in front of the ball, Beardsley made a save, her third of the night.
Penn State continued its offensive onslaught through the second half. Elle Kershner took a touch around Raibon off a Beardsley rebound. Her shot to the bottom left corner secured the third score for Penn State.
The fourth came three minutes later on Aubrey Kulpa’s low shot to the left. Then, with 13 seconds left in the match, Rebecca Cooke put one more in the Terps’ net.
On the same day he was named interim coach, Marchiano suffered his first loss.
“It’s a difficult moment, but tonight they showed personality and character to go out there and play in a brave way,” Marchiano said. “They’ve also been very honest about how they feel and how they want to finish out their careers here at Maryland. I think we all will want them to see this thing out in the best possible way.”
