Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest: your weekly all-access pass to everything Maryland sports.
Extra rest and families in the stands should equate to a happy weekend for Maryland football fans, but it hasn’t always worked out that way for the Terps.
Family weekend and games after bye weeks have been a disaster for Maryland under coach Michael Locksley. The Terps are 0-9 following a week off during his tenure in College Park and 3-7 on family weekend since joining the Big Ten. The coach didn’t have freshman quarterback Malik Washington in those games, though, and will face a team coming off a blowout loss.
The soccer teams are in very different places right now, volleyball is still struggling in the Big Ten and field hockey is solid — but maybe not quite strong enough to take down a top-10 team. Keep reading for an analysis of the team’s strategy change.
Our pick of the week
There’s no doubt Sadam Masereka’s bicycle kick against Northwestern was an incredible feat of athleticism, but the Terps’ undefeated record has been built around strong fundamental play.
Men’s soccer reporter Aidan Currie analyzed Maryland’s strategy change in its corner kick approach, which has resulted in a goal increase from that spot. The Terps’ slide tackling has bolstered a strong defense, and their late-game scoring has limited opponents’ chances at comebacks.
Coach Sasho Cirovski cited the team’s depth as a primary reason for his team’s late-game scoring trend. Maryland has already scored seven goals in the 70th minute or later this season after doing it only eight times last year.
The Terps have a big matchup ahead against UCLA. If they pass that test, Cirovski’s squad could go far in the NCAA tournament again.
The highlight reel
• Take a tour of Maryland basketball’s new Barry P. Gossett Performance Center with our men’s and women’s basketball reporters.
• Maryland field hockey is 0-3 against top-10 opponents after a loss to No. 8 Princeton on Sunday, struggling to generate enough chances against the nation’s best.
• Michael Marchiano is aiming for small wins in his debut season as Maryland women’s soccer coach, like bonding on their West Coast trip.
• How about some height for the future of women’s basketball? Coach Brenda Frese is clearly emphasizing the frontcourt by bringing in 6-foot-5 center Eva Yebila from Great Britain and 6-foot-4 Mimi Thiero for the 2026 class.
• Read about Maryland football’s hot start in our writer’s mailbag.
Quote of the week
“I grew up in an era where the bye week is used kind of like a prize fighter, and in between rounds, he sits on a stool,” Locksley said about Maryland’s approach to the bye week.
“His eyes are looking across at his opponent. He’s getting instruction from his coaches. He’s getting recovery from his coaches. He’s getting a little rest. But we did things a little differently [this week].”
Up next
🏈 Football will host the Washington Huskies for family weekend on Oct. 4.
⚽️ No. 18 men’s soccer heads to the West Coast on Friday to play UCLA, while women’s soccer hosts Illinois on Sunday.
🏑 No. 10 field hockey gets a break from ranked opponents facing Ohio State in Columbus on Friday and at Michigan State on Sunday.
