As the rain came barreling down in College Park, Maryland women’s soccer took the field in the opening game of the Maryland athletics 2026 season.
The Terps’ first opponent, Fordham, lost its season opener against No. 14 Georgetown, 4-1. While that high-scoring game might have suggested a fiery affair was afoot at Ludwig Field, that was far from reality. In a gritty game, Maryland came out on top with a 1-0 win.
Both teams showed up strong defensively from the start, with the highlight being both goaltenders.
In her first career game for Maryland, Meredith Fisher got a chance to exhibit her skills between the pipes, reaching and diving to block Fordham’s first-half attack, including six total shots and three that landed on net.
While redshirt junior goalkeeper Faith Luckey started all 18 games last season, Fisher stood tall, recording the shutout with four total saves on nine shots.
After redshirting her freshman season, Fisher proved that she could provide an alternative option along with Luckey later in the season.
The Terps’ defense was led from the front by sophomore Mckinley Heaven. The Big Ten player to watch was visible everywhere, pressing constantly to protect from Fordham’s three corner kicks in the first half.
However, her aggressive nature came at a cost in the 51st minute when Heaven received an unsporting yellow card after taking down Fordham’s Mackenzie Reid.
With the field dried up in time for the second half, the floodgates opened for Maryland as the offense finally found its momentum. The Terps started the half gaining offensive possession, a theme that would last through the rest of the final 45 minutes.
While Heaven provided much-needed momentum on both sides of the ball, the Terps’ newcomers would be the highlight of the contest. Alongside Fisher, transfers Jolie Farmer and Lily Bane came alive after the second-half whistle blew.
The momentum shifted in the Terps’ favor in the 57th minute when Fordham used one of their two video challenges to question a potential foul in the box.
A new addition to NCAA men’s and women’s soccer this year allows each team to use a maximum of two video challenges at any point during the game. The Rams lost their challenge as it was determined no foul occurred.
Farmer, the redshirt sophomore import from Penn State, had made a strong offensive push in the first half, but her strongest success came in the 63rd minute connecting with another transfer in Bane.
Farmer scored her first collegiate goal thanks to a strongly shuttled pass from Bane. Fordham goalkeeper Addison Green left the bottom left portion of the goal open for Farmer to secure the first Maryland score of the season.
Farmer and Bane gained confidence – the pair made another invasive push towards Green later in the half.
But Green held strong, and the Terps kept Fordham at arm’s length on their way to their first victory of the year.
Three things to know
1. Another first-game win. The 1-0 win marks the Terps’ 10th straight season-opening victory and a confidence booster for head coach Michael Marchiano’s squad, which lost two of their top goal scorers in the offseason.
2. Underclassman opportunity. Five out of the six subs for the Terps were underclassmen, introducing new faces to the lineup early in the 2026 campaign.
3. A chance at 2-0. Maryland will look to secure their second win Thursday against Fairleigh Dickinson back in College Park at 7 p.m.