After an hour of scoreless play, UCLA finally found the back of Maryland’s net. Freshman Bell Winn squeezed the ball into the top right of the net out of Faith Luckey’s reach — sending the Terps back to Maryland with two shutout losses against Los Angeles teams and a .500 record.

Maryland lost to No. 4 UCLA 1-0 on Sunday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. It was the first time Maryland faced the Bruins in conference play and the highest-ranked opponent the Terps have seen this season. Maryland has yet to win a road game, finding all of its wins exclusively at Ludwig Field.

“I’m proud of the way that the girls worked today and proud of the way they were. I know we lost the game, but I think there’s definitely a lot of things to build on here,” coach Michael Marchiano said.

Marchiano anticipated how Maryland would need to be at a “whole different level” to compete against a team like UCLA, especially after a staggering 3-0 loss to USC days before.

UCLA won the 2024 Big Ten conference in its first year of membership, and sought to maintain a 7-game winning streak and remain undefeated in conference play.

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Maryland has made it clear its program is evolving with each game. After losing to USC largely because of fouls and free kicks, the Terps entered Sunday’s match determined to play with greater discipline, ending with only two fouls in contrast with UCLA’s 10.

Holding UCLA scoreless in the first half is no small feat for Maryland. Neither team showed an obvious advantage over the other, with Maryland and UCLA taking turns on either side of the pitch. The Bruins were able to press into the Terps’ side to notch a singular shot on goal.

All season, Maryland’s defense has struggled to shield Luckey. But this match highlighted progress, as the Terps worked collectively to clear threats from the back line.

But even with an increased effort to keep the ball away from Luckey, she still faced 13 shots by the end of the match, making five saves.

“If we’re going to be scoring goals and creating chances at this level against this type of opponent, our girls are going to need to be playing the best soccer of their lives,” Marchiano said. “In the end, we didn’t win the duels that we needed to create more. But I can’t fault them for the effort.”

The first potential goal was shot in the 52nd minute by the Bruins, but was quickly overturned as offside, keeping the match scoreless.

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It wasn’t until the 70th minute Winn put the first goal on the board. Minutes later, the Bruins nearly scored once again in a series of passes between their offensive players.

Luckey left her post to anticipate a move from one attacker, which gave the opportunity for UCLA to shoot on an open net. Maryland’s saving grace was forward Delaney DeMartino, who cleared the ball out right as it neared the goal line.

Without an answer to UCLA’s goal, Maryland allowed the Bruins to notch their ninth shutout of the season and keep their spot at the top of the Big Ten.

The Terps, on the other hand, will return home to Ludwig Field after a weekend with no goals.

“We haven’t yet proven that we can consistently game in and game out, be at the level that’s necessary to win in the Big Ten,” Marchiano said. “I think if we can do that, we’ll find some positive results, but if we continue to be inconsistent … we’re gonna have a hard time.”