With five minutes left in the first half against Nebraska, Maryland women’s soccer’s Kelsey Smith fed Katie Coyle behind her on the left wing. Coyle nailed a long ball into the box with one stop, Delaney DeMartino standing alone.

DeMartino swung her head down and made contact with the ball to send it into the goal.

The score was monumental for the Terps. Three days after they parted ways with coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer, they scored their first conference goal in over 700 days. They added another goal in the second half to cruise past the Cornhuskers, 2-0, at home on Sunday.

“It’s a cool day for the girls, really happy to get the win,” Marchiano said. “I thought the first half there wasn’t a lot in the game. We were solid though, we didn’t concede much.”

In just the second game under interim head coach Michael Marchiano, Maryland (4-8-4, 1-6-1 Big Ten) won a conference game for the first time since October 23, 2022. It defeated Nebraska (4-9-1, 1-6-1 Big Ten) for the first time in program history.

The game consisted of quick possession changes early on — neither side could hold on to the ball long enough to find many opportunities to shoot.

[No. 20 Penn State beats Maryland women’s soccer, 5-0, on same day of coaching change]

The Terps had an opportunity in the 22nd minute.

Cornhuskers goalkeeper Samantha Hauk flew out of the net, batting an attempt away. Kennedy Bell collected the ball, eyeing the vacant space, but chose a cross instead of a shot. Hannah Schapiro connected with the ball for a header. But her look skimmed the crossbar despite an open net.

The teams stayed consistent with each other throughout the first 45 minutes, both notching three shots with one look on-goal. DeMartino’s goal was the lone entering halftime.

Maryland controlled the match in the second half, using precise footwork to control possessions. Nebraska responded with physicality. After being given a yellow card in the 18th minute, Abbey Schwarz’s attempt to win a ball by jumping on top of DeMartino earned her a red card.

Schwarz was sent out of the game. The Terps had a one-player advantage.

[Coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer to leave Maryland women’s soccer]

Their individual talent exploded. Coyle laid down slide tackles while Bell faked out the Cornhuskers’ offense with her one-on-one specialty footwork. Maryland’s effort focused on winning close possessions.

Nebraska had an excellent chance to even the score in the second half with a free kick outside the box after Bell was penalized a yellow card for unsporting play. The Cornhuskers’ kick fell short and Bell seized the play, racing up the field to enter Nebraska’s box before losing the ball. Her effort gave the Terps a corner, setting up another scoring sequence.

“It’s super fun to watch her play and I think everyone knows what we’re getting when we can get the ball in her foot,” Coyle said. “We all kind of just try and get up the field with her. Having her speed and her technical ability on the fields for runs like that is really important.”

Smith received the cross, dribbling the ball into the left corner. She laid it across the goalline where Coyle stood. A deflection off Coyle’s leg broke through Nebraska’s net for the second time.

“We’ve been through a lot this season for sure, our biggest thing was sticking together,” DeMartino said. “I think that goal was just the outcome of how much we’ve stuck together through everything this season.”

The match on Thursday ended with a Gatorade bath for Marchiano in celebration in the Terps’ last home game, their first goals scored in over a month.