Maryland women’s soccer 2025 season preview

Maryland women’s soccer head coach Michael Marchiano enters his first full season in charge, having taken the helm midseason in 2024. Prior to his takeover, the Terps found themselves in a yearslong rut, having not won a conference match since 2022. Offensive issues plagued Maryland as it put together a streak of 17 Big Ten games without a goal across 2023 and 2024.

After the coaching change, the Terps experienced a notable shift, going 1-3-1 to finish the season on a promising note. This season, the team looks to rise in the Big Ten rankings with new coaching, roster changes and fresh possibilities.

Key losses

While Maryland’s strong stretch of recruiting classes will help ease the pain, there are several major losses from a season ago.

Most notably, captain and goalkeeper Liz Beardsley moved on to play for the Houston Dash in the NWSL. She recorded 11 shutouts over the course of her 37 starts, logging over 3,300 minutes of game action in two seasons.

The Terps also lost captain and midfielder Lauren Wrigley, who started all 18 matches last season with over 1,400 minutes on the pitch.

Defender Kennedy Bell and midfielder Hannah Schapiro, both rising juniors, departed via the transfer portal. Bell, now at Michigan State, was a significant bright spot on the offensive end in 2024, contributing a team-high three goals coupled with two assists. She started every match during her two-year tenure as a Terp, receiving Big Ten All-Freshman team honors in 2023. Schapiro also participated in every match last season, including 12 starts. Her hard work was evident throughout the grueling season, as she was recognized with a 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Schapiro will suit up for Brown in 2025.

A number of other starters from 2024 have moved on from collegiate soccer. After transferring from Notre Dame, defender Katie Coyle was a dominant presence on the Terps’ backline. During her two years at Maryland, she started in 28 matches and scored three goals. Coyle assisted the first goal and scored the second in a 2-0 win over Nebraska in 2024, the Terps’ first conference win since 2022.

The backline suffered additional losses in Brooke Tracey and Halle Johnson. Tracey played in 13 matches last season after transferring from Bucknell and Johnson played in 38 matches for the Terps over three years, earning a Big Ten Sportsmanship Team selection in 2023.

Top returners

The Terps’ young core began to show promise toward the end of the 2024 campaign. They enter this season with newfound experience and confidence.

Defender Taryn Raibon returns after a productive 2024 as a freshman, notching two goals and one assist. She started 18 games last season and looks to leave a similar impact on the pitch in 2025.

Senior forward Delaney DeMartino also appeared in all 18 games last season and scored three goals of her own, including the go-ahead goal in the Terps’ drought-ending win over Nebraska. Marchiano needs DeMartino to be a dynamic offensive presence for a long-suffering attack.

Redshirt junior Kelsey Smith also must be a bright spot for Maryland’s attack to strengthen. After missing her freshman season due to injury, Smith has played in every match over the last two years, contributing two goals and two assists in 2024.

Senior midfielder Ava Morales will bolster the team in her newfound leadership role, having taken over the captain’s armband from the graduated Beardsley. She played in every game last season, notching two assists last season after leading the team with three goals in 2023.

Junior Peyton Bernard rounds out the top returners with her consistent veteran presence in the midfield. Starting in 14 of the 19 matches she played in, Bernard exhibited confidence and stability with one goal and one assist last season. She’s set to take on a larger role in 2025.

New recruits

Marchiano’s first recruiting class as head coach consists of two three-star prospects: Mckinley Heaven and Mikayla Gray.

Heaven, a forward from Rockville, Maryland, is ranked No. 109 nationally in her class by Top Drawer Soccer. She received All-American honors in 2023 and was the leading scorer all four years of high school. Gray was also a highly-touted recruit, ranked the No. 10 player in Pennsylvania by Top Drawer Soccer. A defender and midfielder, Gray won multiple conference championships with the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals at the club level.

Looking ahead

The Terps will kick off their 19-match regular season at home Aug. 14 against Lehigh. They have six additional matches before conference play.

Big Ten play then begins with an away match at Penn State on Sep. 11, followed by home matches against Indiana and Purdue on Sept. 18 and Sept. 21. The Terps then conclude their 2025 campaign at home with an important conference matchup against Rutgers on Oct. 26.

from Testudo Times https://ift.tt/sgzak3N