Laying The Foundation: 2025 Women's Soccer Preview

There’s extreme importance to the foundation of a program. First-year women’s soccer head coach Michael Marchiano is ready to build one for his new team in 2025, and his players understand the mission. 

Maryland gets its season started on Aug 14, and an 18-match schedule loaded with Big Ten talent and non-conference opportunity has Terrapin soccer hungry to establish something bigger than the 2025 campaign. 

“We’re trying to lay a foundation for the future,” Marchiano said. “We have a lot of work to do to return Maryland women’s soccer to the level that we all want it to be and know that it can be.”

The New Terp in Charge

Marchiano was named the program’s new head coach in Dec. 2024 after serving as the interim head coach for the backend of the 2024 season. An alumnus of Maryland soccer and a two-time national champion, Marchiano is ready to bring Terrapin soccer back to its peak. 

“This place is really special to me,” Marchiano said. “To have the chance to be here on a day-to-day basis and to have the chance with this particular opportunity to do something really meaningful for the women's soccer program, all I can say is that I’m honored to have the opportunity to do that and that I’m going to make the most of it.”

The Foundation of Unity

That opportunity started in camp, where the foundation of his inaugural roster has gelled with each passing practice. 

“Just from this little time we’ve been together, we’ve already grown a lot,” forward Kelsey Smith said. “I know that’s going to continue forward and just keep growing throughout the season.”

“I think it’s clear we’ve definitely gotten a lot closer off the field,” midfielder Ava Morales said. “I think we need to put that into practice and into games.”

Both Smith and Morales are captains on Marchiano’s 2025 squad. They’ve seen the ups and downs of previous seasons and are ready to lead Terrapin soccer into its next era of success.

“We went through a lot of adversity our first three years here and we want to leave this place better than when we came in so that all our close friends and teammates can continue to have a good future,” Morales said.

The Youth Movement

With only a handful of new faces on the team this season, its strength is in its youth. 

“We’re a young, growing team,” Smith said. “A lot of our energy does come from (the younger players), which is good because it shows they’re comfortable with speaking their minds and saying whatever they need to as young players.”

The youth movement is ready to put the Big Ten on blast. One player, sophomore Ella Bulava, was agreed upon by Smith and Morales as the most underrated player on the roster and one to watch out for. 

“I think she’s definitely grown a lot from her freshman year,” Morales said. “I think she’s gaining a lot of confidence and momentum and I think she could be a very strong player for our team this year.”

Bulava is listed as both a defender and a midfielder on the Terrapins’ roster and has the full support of her captains. 

“I think she’s a super dynamic player,” Smith said. “She can play a lot of positions and that will really help us.”

Marchiano’s already enjoyed the leadership and communication from his younger players and their dedication to wanting to see Maryland soccer at the top.

“I think we’re learning that there are a lot of players who are speaking up, which is good,” Marchiano said. “I think there’s positivity and courage being shown by some of the young players to express how they’re feeling and what they see. I think that’s good because we’re going to need everybody this season to step up and to try to make sure that we’re truly good as a collective.”

The Selfless Leaders

In preparation for a tone-setting year, the few seniors and captains have to be able to see the big picture, something Marchiano commends them for.

“They have to be really unselfish, knowing that most of what they’re doing is laying the foundation for future successes and trying to make sure that our environment and our standards are all set for us to move forward successfully,” Marchiano said. “But that’s the message is to lead the way doing that.”

Staying Rooted

Marchiano has made it clear to his roster that this season will be a marathon, not a sprint, with constant measurements of growth. 

“I think every coach will probably say that you’re taking it one day at a time,” Marchiano said. “Our barometer as we go through these first three games is (the same) as our first 10 games or all 18 of our games. We’re going to make sure that we’re making progress physically, mentally and tactically.”

They’re ready, hungry and excited, not only for this season, but for those to come.

“We’ve had a positive preseason,” Marchiano said. “We’ve made progress, and I would say that progress is something we’re really keenly focussed on this season.”

The Schedule

Eleven of the 18 matches will take place at Ludwig Field, an undeniable advantage for the Terps.

“We love playing at Ludwig,” Marchiano said. “I’m biased. I think it’s one of the best places to play soccer in the country, so we will not take lightly any chance that we have to go out there and put a really high-level performance in at home.”

The first three matches will all take place at Ludwig, giving the women a chance to find their rhythm before hitting the road.

“I think a lot of people on our team take a lot of pride in playing at Ludwig,” Morales said. “I think if we can start off strong in those three games, it’ll give us a lot of confidence going into Big Ten play.”

Once conference play starts in September, the season will be in full swing.

“Those are big games going into Big Ten play,” Smith said. “It’s a hard conference, so we really need to focus on getting everything right before we start conference play.”

Amongst the home games, Maryland will host several events at Ludwig, including Youth Day (Aug 31), Disco After Dark (Sept 18) and Legally Blonde Day (Oct 26) for those in attendance. 

Maryland will both open and close its 2025 campaign with three straight home games. The Terps get their season started on Aug 14. at 6 PM against Lehigh. The game will be streamed on B1G+.