The 2025 season could not have started much better for Maryland women’s soccer, a program that has historically struggled.
Under new coach Michael Marchiano, the Terps opened the year with three shutout wins. But Maryland’s promising start has been upended by a two-game losing streak and three losses in its last five contests. The Terps have averaged less than half a goal a game and allowed nearly two goals a game during that span.
It’s a mixed start. Maryland finished last season with four wins and now heads into conference play with nearly the same record.
[Maryland women’s soccer drops second straight to James Madison, 1-0]
Marchiano is beginning his first full season as head coach after taking over the position full time last December. Under his interim leadership last October, the Terps achieved their only conference victory against Nebraska and broke a six-game losing streak.
Maryland lost a ton of talent in the offseason, only returning a pair of veterans in forward Kelsey Smith and midfielder Ava Morales. But it was the younger players who propelled the Terps to their 3-0 start, as midfielder Ellie Egeland’s dominant offensive performance was catapulted by her first career goal against UMBC, and goalkeeper Faith Luckey began the season with shutout after shutout.
Maryland’s defense has been a high point of its gameplay this season, accounting for a historic 265 minutes of scoreless gameplay until its loss to Old Dominion.
But the defensive unit has faltered in recent outings. After the Terps’ 0-1 loss to James Madison, Marchiano said the team needed to “improve in every aspect”.
“If we’re going to be competitive at a higher level, we’re going to need performances where everybody who comes onto the field is gonna have to be nearing their highest capacity,” Marchiano said. “It’s going to have to be a really connected performance as well, outside of the individual contribution.”
[Under new leadership, Maryland women’s soccer embraces a slow climb up the Big Ten]
The Terps were ranked last in the conference in a preseason poll. The Big Ten is historically a strong league for women’s soccer as Maryland has failed to finish in the top half of the conference for most of its time in the conference.
Maryland’s already lacking top-tier talent. It needs to be nearly flawless in execution. Marchiano said the “technical and tactical parts of the performance were not good enough” after Thursday’s loss.
To compete in the conference, the Terps will need to constantly be on the hunt for errors made by opponents. Maryland must also regain the defensive form it started the season with.
Offensively, the team needs to make a consistent effort to get its best threats to the ball. Smith scored three goals early in the season, but hasn’t seen anything more than two shots on goal since.
A lot rides on the upcoming conference series starting this Thursday for Maryland. To be seen as a serious threat in the conference, the Terps must prove they can compete.
