Home Sweet Home: Meghan Ryan Nemzer Returns To Maryland
Matt Gilpin, Maryland Athletics Staff Writer
12/17/2021
A buzz was in the air on the fifth floor of Tyser Tower at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 14. People weren’t there for a party, but they were for a homecoming.
Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics for the University of Maryland, Damon Evans, formally introduced the new head coach of the Maryland women’s soccer team, Maryland native, Meghan Ryan Nemzer.
Nemzer spoke to a room full of media who were ready to pepper the newest Terp with questions about her direction for the program, her expectations for the future, and her excitement for the possibilities that the job holds.
The new leader of the women’s soccer team showed the passion, charisma, and energy needed to revitalize the program she grew up mere miles away from, making the self-described Maryland girl the brightest new face inside the athletic department.
“The minute that [Damon Evans and I] spoke, I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Nemzer said. “He had the same vision and the same culture. I just want to say thank you so much. My dream came true when I became a Terp.”
"My vision of this program simply is to win" @MegNemzer was formally introduced to #TerpNation yesterday ????
— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) December 15, 2021
Watch the full press conference ???? https://t.co/ftcYGrIcM6 pic.twitter.com/qnuNaHpgIf
Nemzer is a native of Crofton, Maryland, which is only about a half-hour drive from College Park. She spent 18 years in Piscataway, New Jersey, as a player before becoming director of operations, an assistant coach, and associate head coach for the Scarlet Knights.
When she took to the podium high above the football field, she did so in front of her family, which included her parents, her husband, Joe Nemzer – who will serve on staff for the team. The only person who was more popular than Meghan was her precious 14-month old daughter, Bethany.
It was more than just the media and the Ryan and Nemzer families in attendance. Head coaches from across the University of Maryland made the trip to support their newest peer, including head football coach Michael Locksley and the all-time winningest coach in school history, field hockey coach Missy Meharg along with baseball coach Rob Vaughn and women’s golf coach Kelly Hovland.
The support for Nemzer from her newest colleagues was immense but not surprising. At one point in their careers, each of them was the new coach on the block, hungry to get started and leave their mark on the school.
It was that welcoming attitude, sense of family, and the encapsulation of what the slogan “One Maryland” truly means to those inside the athletic department that meant the world to Nemzer.
“When [Maryland] called, I said it was meant to be something special for me to leave. What you have here at Maryland is something special. I talked about the people, and the first minute I stepped on campus. I felt so comfortable. Everyone came in and welcomed me, and that's what you get [at Maryland]. It's unbelievable how many people are showing up today.”
Buy stock now because it's a good day to be here. Tomorrow is going to be a better day, and you're going to be part of something that is going to change the culture.Megan Ryan Nemzer
Maryland Soccer, buy stock now ??
— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) December 14, 2021
The message from @MegNemzer to recruits is simple: Be Maryland legends. #FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/GyIsOM6ZdD
Coach Nemzer’s family may have been the only people in attendance more excited about her taking the job than she was.
Adrienne and John Ryan, Meghan’s parents, live in Annapolis, Maryland, and while their daughter wasn’t too far away in New Jersey, they still wished she could somehow be closer. Their dreams came true as much as Meghan’s did, and it was a family reunion as much as a press conference.
“My mom probably called Damon and tried to get me [hired here] a long time ago,” Nemzer said to laughter. “My mom is extremely happy to have me home. My brother went to Maryland, so there's no more fighting over Rutgers [or] Maryland, who's the favorite child anymore, so we appreciate that.”
For my local Maryland girls, be Maryland legends. Come home, change the program, change the culture. Instead of being part of something, build something special that you'll always come back to.Megan Ryan Nemzer
Nemzer beamed while at the podium, not hiding the emotions that she was feeling. Here, she could tell people why this particular job spoke to her, why she feels it is one of the best places to be in the entire country, and why her home could be the next big soccer hub.
“One of the biggest draws that drew me to this was that I feel like [Maryland is] a sleeping giant,” Nemzer said. “The amount of talent that you have in Maryland, and Virginia, DC, Jersey, Pennsylvania. It's unbelievable. I want to get that recruiting pipeline back to Maryland as soon as possible.”
Becoming a high-level collegiate coach was no easy feat, one that took years to earn. Growing up as a youth soccer player into a college one, Nemzer never had a female head coach.
While she loves all of her coaches and thanks them for helping mold her into the player and person she is, she is ready to become that role model that all young girls can look up to and be proud to be associated with.
“To all the girls, the youth players in the DMV, this is going to be your program,” Nemzer preached. “I want you to have a Maryland t-shirt on because where I fell in love with the game was watching Shannon [Higgins-Cirovski] (wife of current men’s soccer coach and Maryland Athletics Hall of Famer Sasho Cirovski) leading the program back when the stands were full, and when we were having a winning record and just really having that pride in the program.”
With the program having a bright, young face as its leader, Nemzer is ready for the challenges of building a culture, maintaining that culture, and bringing in the right people who embody everything that she’s looking for.
The DMV is a hotbed of soccer fandom, especially with the NWSL Champion Washington Spirit nearby. The United States Women’s National Team has also created a built-in base of soccer enthusiasts, a group that Nemzer is ready to bring over to College Park.
Nemzer’s plan is to convince young Maryland girls now to do what she did: Come home.
“This is the best time to come,” Nemzer said. “Buy stock now because it's a good day to be here. Tomorrow is going to be a better day, and you're going to be part of something that is going to change the culture. For my local Maryland girls, be Maryland legends. Come home, change the program, change the culture. Instead of being part of something, build something special that you'll always come back to.”
