COLLEGE PARK, Md. – As the fall season comes to a close and College Park temperatures dip, the Maryland women's soccer program has remained engaged in their final weeks of training before pausing for winter break.

Head coach Ray Leone has seen a renewed focus in training and he looks forward to continue the process of developing his young team.

"The results were not what we wanted this fall but we are on the right track, said Leone. "Just like a professional sports organization rebuilding through the draft, we are making slow but steady progress," said Leone. "We took four of the top five teams in the Big Ten to overtime this past year and earned our first top-25 win with this group. Now the next step is to grow our team's style and identity and the results will begin to follow. We went through a lot of growing pains this fall but through those experiences is really the only way to improve." 

After totaling just four goals while allowing 21 in Big Ten play during the 2017 season, Leone's 2018 team made significant strides in conference play in 2018. The Terps more than doubled their B1G scoring output this past season with 10 goals in conference action and cut their goals against by a third in one year, a seven goal decrease from a season ago.

"These are measurable examples but of course the most important thing is getting points," said Leone. "We made improvements in these areas while also putting together our best finish yet in the Big Ten table – but I know everyone on our team wants and expects more than that."

Additionally, the Terps made history in their Big Ten opener this season scoring four second half goals in their win over Iowa. The four goals were their most-ever scored in a Big Ten game, while the four-goal margin of victory was also UMD's largest in a B1G game since joining the conference in 2014.

With just four seniors graduating this year, Maryland will return a large contingent of this past season's roster. Leone will have another solid class of incoming Terps join the team next year, as he and his staff prepare for the spring season ahead.  

"At this time of the year, we look at everything we do as a staff so we can keep improving as coaches and players," said Leone. "All we can do is assess and move on. We must improve our situational focus as I like to call it. We must improve our communication skills on the field and we must be more threatening in the final third to make the next jump in the Big Ten. It is a great league with outstanding teams and I am proud of how our team competed in each and every single game in the Big Ten."