Fighting For Each Other

Entering year three, Maryland women’s soccer head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer looks to take the next step with her squad and compete in a new look Big Ten Conference.

Nemzer says her first two seasons at the helm were about building a sustainable, positive culture. Now, with a strong foundation, the program is ready to make its mark in 2024. A plethora of new faces on the Terps’ roster and coaching staff, paired with several returning impact players and leaders, give them the confidence to do so. 

“I'm excited about starting this season,” Nemzer said. “The first two years were about establishing the process and establishing how to do things the right way. I think that we've come a long way.”

She continued. “I give a lot of credit to the leadership. Especially this year, I think they've done an excellent job coming together, not only being a good team off the field but also demanding excellence and forming what a championship culture looks like on the field. I think you're going to see a team that is going to fight for each other, one that moves as one defensively and attacking wise and be able to compete at the highest level.”

The Terps made strides and improvements in 2023, finishing with six shutout performances on the heels of goalkeeper Liz Beardsley. That season, she was the first Maryland goalie to finish with six or more shutouts since 2014. 

For the first time since the 2021 season, Maryland also won three consecutive games, each coming ahead of conference play. Defender Kennedy Bell received Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors, becoming the first Terrapin named to the conference’s all-freshman team since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

Maryland’s fight and growth last season reflect what Nemzer preaches to her players daily.

“Meg has always been someone that’s very passionate,” midfielder Lauren Wrigley said. “Part of the reason I am the leader I am is because of Meg. She’s the first female coach that I’ve had, and she's also the first female that I’ve seen in a leadership position that just owns it and is passionate about what she’s doing. I feel like that rubs off on us because she’ll dig into us and is hard on us, but we know it's for the right reasons and she ultimately wants what's best for us as soccer players and people.”

During the offseason, the Terps added three new assistants to its coaching staff: Michael Marchiano, Alex Shinsky and Sara Butler. Butler joined the program as the team’s goalkeeper coach. She was previously the head women’s soccer coach at Saint Francis University, where she became the fifth-fastest coach to reach 10 wins. 

Marchiano and Shinsky both have ties to Maryland, playing under men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski. Marchiano played from 2005-08, winning two national championships in 2005 and 2008, where he was a captain of the latter team. Shinsky played from 2011-14, winning a Big Ten championship and two ACC titles.

Maryland also brought in nine student-athletes during this year’s recruiting class, ranking No. 19 in the country according to TopDrawer Soccer. Nemzer says the incoming freshmen bring a fast-paced, one-on-one ability offensively and defensively and a dynamic range of play that can help the Terps compete at a high level. 

Nemzer was an assistant at Rutgers from 2008-21. She believes her tenure with the Scarlet Knights gave her the experience to recruit student-athletes that align with her team’s culture and play style. 

“What you're going to see from this class is very much a blue-collar mentality,” Nemzer said. “A unit that is excited and a unit that is becoming something that can turn this program into the championship culture we’re striving to build. Many of these players in this class have had a lot of success individually and with their club teams.”

Nemzer highlighted newcomers in her class, such as Emily Lenhard, Ellie Egeland and Taryn Raibon, who she feels will make an immediate impact.

“I was very fortunate to have Emily Lenhard early,” Nemzer said. “I think she's one of the best midfielders I've been around in a very long time. I'm excited to add Ellie to the mix as well. That will put the ball in the back of the net. I'm excited to see how she translates to the collegiate game. Then Taryn, from California, competed in one of the hardest conferences. I expect her to come in and be able to hang with the Big Ten right away.”

Nemzer also signed two Patriot League transfers: forward Delaney DeMartino and defender Brooke Tracey. DeMartino comes to College Park after spending the past two seasons with the Loyola Greyhounds. She was named Third Team All-Patriot as a critical player for a Greyhounds team that finished 11-6 in 2023.  

Tracey transferred to Maryland after spending the past four seasons at Bucknell while playing in more than 50 games and logging more than 5,000 minutes. She earned two All-Patriot League selections during that time, with her most recent coming in 2023 after leading the backline and allowing a 0.75 goal average. Bucknell’s defense finished with nine shutouts, helping the Bison claim their third-straight Patriot League crown and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The two transfers add experience, leadership and past success to a young team that is ready to establish itself in a competitive Big Ten Conference.

Beardsley returns for her senior season, finishing her first year at Maryland in 2023 with a successful campaign. She believes that her record last season doesn’t reflect her and her teammate’s play last season. 

“I think it's just realizing what you can and can’t control, even though last year was hard,” Beardsley said. “I spent a lot of time working on that this past spring. My backline has even focused on that. We’re playing more like a cohesive group to prevent those scenarios from playing out.”

Her fellow senior teammate, Wrigley, talked about the veteran leadership she and other seniors took on, serving as an extension of the player-driven culture Nemzer sought to build when she first took the helm in College Park. 

“We have a lot of responsibility that people don't necessarily see in the day-to-day process,” Wrigley said. “I think we’re always paying attention to and always on top of things. It also doesn’t feel like we’re captains, which I think it's a good thing. Anyone can step in and be a leader on this team, which I think is huge. I think we have the respect of our team, but the team also has our respect.”