Maryland Women’s Soccer Opens 2026 Season With 1-0 Win Over Fordham

Sunday, August 16

College Park, MD

12 PM

Maryland

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Fordham

0-2-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Fordham	0	0	0
Maryland	0	1	1

Jolie Farmer celebrates a goal against Fordham

Maryland Women’s Soccer Opens 2026 Season With 1-0 Win Over Fordham

8/16/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Terps pushed their unbeaten streak in season openers to 10 on Sunday afternoon against the Rams.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland battled the rain and the Rams in its season-opening 1-0 win over Fordham at Ludwig Field on Sunday afternoon. Jolie Farmer's goal helped the Terps extend their unbeaten streak in season openers to 10 while bumping their record in season openers since 1995 to 23-4-5.

Farmer got the season's scoring started in the 64th minute on a chaotic sequence in front of the Fordham net. Lilly Bane picked up an assist as the Terps claimed a 1-0 lead and rode it to their first win of 2026.

65' | THE FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON GOES TO JOLIE FARMER🔥

Her first career goal!😤 pic.twitter.com/MxvszeaMru
— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) August 16, 2026

Meredith Fisher made her first-career start in goal for Maryland and came up with four key saves in the win. She posted the Terps' 24th all-time shutout in a season opener, including the fifth in the last six seasons.

48' | Meredith picks up her first save of the second half! 👏 pic.twitter.com/N2Yzm6EszF
— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) August 16, 2026

The skies cleared up in the second half as Maryland broke through with Farmer's goal in the 64th minute. The transfer's first-career goal opened the scoring for the Terps in 2026 and proved to be the difference in the win over Fordham (0-2-0). Maryland outshot the Rams 12-9 in its first game of 2026 as the Terps improved to 7-4-1 at Ludwig Field since the start of 2025. Maryland will remain in College Park for a primetime match against Fairleigh Dickinson University on Aug. 20.

How It Happened:
1st Half:

Bane and Lenhard logged the first shots of the season in the 11th minute, prompting a Rams save.
Maryland fought off the match's first corner in the 12th minute.
Fisher made her first save in the 16th minute.
The Terps navigated a Fordham corner in the 18th minute.
Fisher made a leaping save in the 31st minute.
A Heaven shot in the 45th minute forced a Fordham save in the closing seconds.
The two teams took a 0-0 score into the break.

2nd Half:

Fisher made her fourth save in the 48th minute.
Maryland took its first two corners of the season in the 53rd minute.
The Terps fought off a Fordham corner in the 60th minute.
Farmer's goal broke the ice in the 64th minute as Bane picked up an assist.
Maryland held on for the 1-0 win.

Season Opener Success

The Terps are unbeaten in their last 10 season openers.
Maryland is 23-4-5 in its season openers since 1995.
The Terps are 2-0 in season openers under head coach Michael Marchiano with a +4 goal differential.
Maryland has 24 shutouts in season-opener games, registering five in the last six years.

Newcomers Making A Mark

Six players in Maryland's starting lineup made their first starts as Terps on Sunday.
Farmer's first-career goal provided all the offense in the Terps' season-opening win.
Four transfers — Farmer, Abigail Stager, Ary Oliver, and Bane — made their Maryland debuts.
Fisher logged her first-career start in net and saw her first collegiate action after redshirting in 2025.
Dani Gichner made her first-career start in her second-career appearance.
Five Maryland substitutes — Ella Petry, Kamryn Cole, Paige Foye, Morgan Shannon, and Ava Paolini saw their first collegiate action.

Returning Production

Veterans Lenhard and Heaven both tallied multiple shots in the season-opening win/draw.
Mia Mitchell logged 19 minutes as a sub on Sunday.

Marchiano's Message:

"Obviously, the result is going to make you feel good and it's very enjoyable. It's not a bad place to start, and the cherry on top is definitely the win."
"I thought there were pockets of the game where we were organized and executing in possession, and we need to find more of those moments moving forward."
"I don't think we conceded many big chances today, and that's going to have to be the foundation for this group."
"We did a good job of growing into the game. Hopefully, it's something that we can build on."
"It's good for the new faces to experience the game and get a good result."
"I thought Meredith put in a really good performance today and was very steady. She had a commanding voice and intercepted a few crosses in a really confident way. I was happy to see her anchor the backline that way."

Farmer's Fantastic Sunday:

"It felt incredible. Definitely one of the best feelings in the world."
"We've all been working so hard as a team all spring and summer. This is what we work for, so it felt good to come out here with the win at Ludwig."
"We have a culture where we'll do anything, any time, any conditions. We have serious depth on our roster, and I think we showed that with everybody contributing to our collective effort."

Fisher's First Shutout:

"I really think it was a collective effort on the backline. I love them and we all have each other's backs."
"Starting the season like this is huge, and we've just got to keep it going."

Numbers To Know

1: Farmer scored her first-career goal on Sunday.
3: Maryland improved to 3-1 all-time against Fordham.
4: Fisher made four saves in her first-career shutout.
5: Maryland has posted a shutout in five of its last six season openers.
5: Five Terps logged multiple shots in the win
7: Maryland improved to 7-4-1 at home over the last two seasons.
10: The Terps are unbeaten in their last 10 season openers.
12: Maryland logged 12 shots in the win.
24: The shutout was Maryland's 24th in a season opener.

Up Next

The Terps stay in College Park for their next match at Ludwig Field on Aug. 20, when they play Fairleigh Dickinson University. The match is set for at 7 PM and will air on B1G+.