Mckinley Heaven’s first start, first goal and first conference win with Maryland women’s soccer all happened Thursday night at Ludwig Field.
Weaving through Indiana midfielders and defense, Heaven launched a hard shot past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net in the 86th minute — clinching the Terps’ 2-1 win over Indiana. It is head coach Michael Marchiano’s second Big Ten win since taking over midseason last year.
“I’m just really glad that I could be here for my team when we needed it the most,” Heaven said.
Heaven suffered an injury during practice earlier in the season — holding her out of two games in August. She committed to Maryland as the No. 12 player in the Mid-Atlantic Region according to Top Drawer Soccer, earning two First Team Washington Post All-Met selections while at Richard Montgomery.
Her three shot attempts this season have come in the last two games, including two against the Hoosiers.
“It means a lot for her,” Marchiano said. “Coming off of an injury, she’s worked really hard to get back in and for a young player to have that big of an impact is exciting.”
The last time the schools faced each other was in 2023, when Maryland fell to the Hoosiers at Ludwig Field, 3-0. The Terps had never won a home game against Indiana until tonight. The match was also both teams’ second game in conference play. The Terps entered off a 4-0 shutout loss at No. 7 Penn State, while Indiana was reeling off a tie against No. 9 Illinois.
[Maryland women’s soccer needs a ‘near-perfect’ defense to succeed in Big Ten play]
After the defensive struggles against the Nittany Lions, coach Marchiano emphasized the need for better ball rotation, control and limiting the number of scoring opportunities. From the opening kickoff, the back line showed more attention to running systems and making split-second clearing decisions.
The Hoosiers and Terps played hard throughout the first half, despite technical difficulty distractions with sporadic blackouts on the field. The even matchup resulted in a scoreless game at halftime.
When the Hoosiers picked up the pace in the second half, defenders utilized each other to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Faith Luckey to regain control. Center back Tahirah Turnage-Morales repeatedly cleared the box with long drives downfield.
“We just were able to capitalize on a couple of those chances in the second half, and we talked about consistency,” Marchiano said. “And I think from the first minute to the last minute, the level was pretty good.”
[Maryland women’s soccer falls 4-0 at Penn State, records fourth loss in five games]
The scoreless match was broken when Indiana defender Grace Hamm launched a shot right over goalkeeper Faith Luckey’s reach, causing the ball to bounce off her gloves and into the net.
1-0 opponent leads have hampered the Terps throughout the season, accounting for each loss this season.
This time, the Terps responded. Forward Kelsey Smith took possession of the ball in the 59th minute, racing down the field to notch an unassisted goal to tie the match.
Despite only scoring two goals, the Terps showed offensive control of the ball and dominance over the Hoosiers after notching one shot on goal against the Nittany Lions last week — recording five shots on goal Thursday.
“I think it was a good night here at Ludwig,” Marchiano said. “I think the girls did start the game well, and I think they played with no fear. They played with the energy that was necessary.”
Maryland will host Purdue on Sunday at Ludwig Field in its third conference match. If the Terps replicate Thursday’s energy, they’ll have a strong chance to earn the conference breakthrough they’ve been chasing all season.
