In the sweltering 90 degree heat of College Park, Maryland women’s soccer took on an opponent it had never seen before. Saint Francis, an athletic program set to fall from D1 to D3 status next season, put up a hard fight against the Terps. 

In the second of three home games in a row, the Terps (2-0) proved home pitch advantage in a 5-0 win over Saint Francis (0-1). Coach Michael Marchiano’s plan to maintain momentum from the team’s recent win over Lehigh was in full swing. 

The Terps controlled the ball and found holes in the Red Flash’s defense in the first half, but energy wavered as Saint Francis became more comfortable on the pitch. Changes in possession happened quickly and frequently throughout the half. 

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“There’s a good collective nature to the way that we’re building and attacking opponents, and there’s a couple of different threats on the field for us, so we need to continue to strike the right balance,” Marchiano said. 

Despite concerns about their offensive front last season, the Terps’ midfielders and forwards have showcased improvement in both athleticism and speed. Maryland’s first and fifth goals of the game were scored by forward/midfielder Lisa McIntyre, a junior who has played with Maryland her entire collegiate career. 

The Red Flash have dipped heavily into the high school ranks, with eight freshmen getting a chance to play against the Terps. But they just could not keep up against forward Kelsey Smith. 

The redshirt junior played all 19 matches last season and was named a 2025 Big Ten player to watch because of her agile ball control and speed. Smith scored twice in the first half, 10 and 20 minutes in. Her second goal was mainly a group effort with assists from forward Delaney DeMartino and Lisa McIntyre.  

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Although Maryland ended the half with three unanswered goals, Saint Francis goalkeeper Emma Sawich kept that number as low as possible, making 10 total saves. Sawich, a senior, is coming off a record-breaking 2024-25 season with 98 saves, the most from a Saint Francis goalkeeper since 2018. 

Redshirt freshman and forward Gemma Davitian, a four-star recruit from Bethesda, scored the fifth goal for Maryland five minutes into the second half. The unassisted goal was the first of her collegiate career — and first as a Terp. 

With five unanswered goals, Maryland could have relaxed, but the team continued to fight against the Red Flash, eventually warranting a yellow card to midfielder Symone Jenson. 

The second half saw weather threats and lightning spottings, leading to an early end to the match and a convincing Maryland victory. 

With the win, the Terps began a season 2-0 for the first time since 2021. They also scored their most goals in a match since October 2019.

“We just want to keep doing what we’re doing and make sure that the girls are expressing themselves close to the goal,” Marchiano said.