Stability And Evolution: 2026 Maryland Women’s Soccer Preview
The Terps are ready to build off a momentous 2025 campaign with a roster blend of returning talent and fresh faces.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
8/13/2026
The dawn of another athletic season is arriving, and with it comes a Maryland women’s soccer team ready to build on the foundation it established a year ago. With a roster blending young talent and returning production, the Terps enter 2026 with a fresh mentality and a hunger to evolve — shifting from the stability of 2025 toward the next step in the program’s growth.
“Last year, the word we used a lot was stability,” head coach Michael Marchiano said. “Our objective was to try to give stability to the program, and I think we did that. This year, we’re talking about elevating the program, and a lot of that is in reference to what our expectations are internally, and how we build out our new standards.”
Gallery: Women's Soccer practice
Maryland’s 2025 campaign was Coach Marchiano’s first full season at the helm and one that featured the program’s most wins since 2019. There’s plenty to build off of from a year of ebbs and flows, and Marchiano expects his returners to carry the lessons learned last season into 2026.
This season, we just want to work on consistency. Last year, we had some good moments, but overall, it wasn't our best season. I think that we need to build on the good moments from last year and just keep being consistent and like focusing on the little things. Focusing on the technical aspects and our relationships with each other will translate on the field.Sophomore Forward Mckinley Heaven
The relationship-building has already morphed a roster full of fresh faces into a cohesive unit ready to take on another Big Ten season. Preseason retreats to Washington, D.C., and movie nights as a squad have built a camaraderie in the locker room and a sisterhood on the field.
“Everyone's really close,” goalkeeper Faith Luckey said. “The culture is awesome here. We have seven new freshmen, and I just feel like we didn't even know they are freshmen. We're all just like sisters, so it's nice being able to just do fun activities and just hang out and just get to know more about each other.”
Among the new faces are two key freshmen — midfielder Ella Petry and defender Paige Foye — who look to make quick impacts on the collegiate scene. Petry was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year while Foye scored a goal in one of Maryland’s preseason exhibition matches.
“For Paige to be so young and already having an impact, that was really exciting,” Heaven said. “But honestly, every single one of the freshmen that have stepped on the field brings something great to the team. I feel like they bring a lot of good energy, different skill sets, and talents. They've really integrated off the field and in practices. I’m really excited that they're part of our team, and they'll definitely give us some depth.”
The fresh faces are set to blend nicely into a roster that retains four of its top six goalscorers from a season ago. Gemma Davitian, Lisa McIntyre, Ellie Egeland, and Heaven all return for Marchiano’s second full season leading the program.
“One of our challenges this season is seeing how we can integrate almost half our roster being new to the program,” Marchiano said. “I think the group is aware of that, and hopefully, some strong relationships can form. Some of the new faces will come in and make it their task to try to elevate Maryland soccer while leaning on some of the other players who have been here to understand the learnings of the past. We’re going to need the right blend in such a short period of time.”
The on-field production can come from anywhere — transfers Jolie Farmer and Abigail Stager will increase Marchiano’s offensive attack in 2026 — but the cohesion of the team and the like-minded drive for stability will be key to not only finding success on the field, but creating long-term evolution for Maryland women’s soccer for the years to come.
Marchiano makes it clear that no lone individual or moment will define the success of the season, despite Lisa McIntyre, Mckinley Heaven, and Faith Luckey being named Big Ten Players to Watch in 2026. His roster is one of balance and competition at every spot as the squad gains experience and cohesion with every passing practice.
There's a handful of players that we're going to lean on for offensive productivity. From a day-to-day standpoint, each of them have strong moments, but we're going to need all of them to help us pull the weight this season.Head Coach Michael Marchiano
There’s already a set chemistry in an area that needs it most: the backline. Redshirt junior Faith Luckey is back after a 2025 season that featured 88 saves — the third-highest mark in the Big Ten.
“I'm very excited,” Marchiano said. “I think Faith has a good personality for a goalkeeper in that she displays calm on the field and off the field, and I really like that in a goalkeeper. She's going into her final season, and we're gonna need to make sure that she's at her best level to give our best chance to be competitive. Hopefully she doesn't face as many shots as she did last year, but if and when that happens, her calm demeanor and the experience that she has will serve us well.”
In her first full season in net for the Terps, Luckey had to quickly adjust and adapt to the rapid-fire offenses that the Big Ten Conference boasts. Her success in net will parallel a bolstered defensive unit that’s gaining chemistry as the season quickly approaches.
“The whole backline, we really love each other,” Luckey said. “I know Mia Mitchell really well, and I communicate with Dani Gichner really well, so I’ll definitely be leaning on them a lot this season.”
The Terps face another season in the talent-rich Big Ten, and a schedule chock-full of strong opponents and equally great opportunities. Non-conference clashes with Fordham, Fairleigh Dickinson, Virginia Tech, Navy, and Binghamton will sharpen Maryland before a stretch of 12 Big Ten matches to close out the regular season.
Even when faced with adversity or challenges on and off the field, we’ll continue to lean on each other, which is a really important piece. If we see someone down, we’ll be there right next to them to pick them up and continue to fight and push forward as a team.Faith Luckey
It’s precision that will drive the Terps’ efforts to continue to elevate their program this season. A constant dedication to the little things, on and off the field, will define the success of 2026 and the trajectory of the program as it continues to rise.
“I think there's a level of patience that needs to remain, knowing that this is a process that's gonna take some time,” Marchiano said. “For those of us that have been in this and have been pouring our hearts and souls into it, I'm sure we're going to want to see results quickly, but I think if internally we have that consistency and stability, and if we see glimpses of elevation in the way that we're behaving and the standards that we're setting, I think for us, that'll be a success this year. We’ve got to make sure that we have the stability from last year and build on it with consistency this year to elevate the program.”
