Maryland women’s soccer won a single of its 11 conference matches a season ago.
The victory — over Nebraska on Oct. 13 — was coach Michael Marchiano’s first win as interim coach before officially assuming the position in December.
This season, the Terps turned in their best start in years before the schedule intensified and they lost to Old Dominion, Florida and James Madison.
Maryland will face No. 8 Penn State on Thursday — its first match against a ranked opponent this season. With a week between matches, the Terps have gotten a chance to rest and approach their next match with “renewed focus,” according to Marchiano.
“For our team, for sure, we’re going to have the utmost respect for Penn State, but at the same time we need to have the confidence to go and attack this game to the best of our abilities, and know that if we play at our highest level we’ll have a chance to be competitive,” Marchiano said.
[Ajack Malual dominates in Maryland volleyball’s sweep of Delaware State]
Recently, Maryland has shown little resistance near the net. Marchiano noted these struggles could prove costly against the Nittany Lions’ All-American forward and graduate student, Kaitlyn MacBean.
“When we think about defending, we think about it collectively, and our group knows very well that we’re going to need to defend in a near-perfect way as we face some of these top opponents,” Marchiano said.
The Terps saw a change in leadership before their Penn State match last year, with former coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer departing from the program just hours before the game. Maryland lost 5-0 at home to the Nittany Lions, perhaps as a result of an emotional day.
“The Penn State game last year was a unique day, for sure, and a unique challenge for our players and for the program,” Marchiano said.
[Kids’ events, crab cakes: What to expect at SECU Stadium this fall]
For the inevitable challenges that await the Terps in conference play this season, Marchiano’s main focus is fostering an environment centered around positive energy.
“I think when our group is at our best, each player is transmitting this positive energy in the way that they’re most comfortable doing it, whether that’s body language, or it’s running, or it’s talking,” Marchiano said.
And gameplay isn’t just dependent on the players’ athletic talents, Marchiano noted, but also chemistry. He wants his players to be “measured in their performance of how they make the people around them better.”
“All of the decisions that the girls make, all of the interactions, we want them to have respect for each other,” Marchiano said. “It’s just a lot of little doses of being together, interacting, communicating, defending together, picking people up when they’re down, taking accountability for mistakes.”
