Maryland women’s soccer has returned to a familiar spot at the bottom of the Big Ten. The Terps boast six wins, their most since 2019, but still rank second last in the conference.

Coach Michael Marchiano will close out his first full season on Sunday against Rutgers at Ludwig Field. Maryland aims to pick up its seventh win of the season after losing as many matches in a row.

Amid the turbulent season, here’s a look at some of Maryland’s highs and lows.

Highs

The Terps recorded three straight shutout wins to open the season — their first time accomplishing the feat since 1996.

Maryland boasts two conference wins — its most since 2022.

The wins can mainly be attributed to standout offensive performances from players who shone when the team created viable goal-scoring opportunities.

A prime example was forward Mckinley Heaven’s run against Indiana and Purdue which she called surreal. Heaven’s first two career goals in the matches were both game winners, earning Maryland its sole victories against Big Ten teams.

[Maryland women’s soccer’s Faith Luckey is enjoying a breakout season after injuries]

“I’m just really glad that I could be here for my team when we needed it the most,” Heaven said.

Forward Kelsey Smith was another key piece in Maryland’s offense. Smith leads the team in goals scored after being named a preseason Big Ten Women’s Soccer Player to Watch.

The redshirt junior credited her scoring success to her love of being on offense.

“I just like taking chances, and if I see an opportunity to dribble, I’m going to do it,” Smith said.

Although another year goes by without an NCAA tournament appearance for the Terps, players had positive views on their coach.

“I do think that’s important that he knows me as a person, and I know him as a person besides soccer,” Smith said. “I think he does intentionally try to build those relationships with all of the girls on the team, which is important to us.”

[Questionable goalie switch costs Maryland women’s soccer in 3-1 loss to Ohio State]

Marchiano’s personal coaching style emphasizes working hard in practice while creating an environment where players are expected to uplift and celebrate one another, goalkeeper Faith Luckey said.

“No matter what you do, you feel supported and encouraged by the people next to you,” Luckey said. “Knowing that, and playing for something that’s bigger than yourself … it makes it easy to play and be excited.”

Lows

It’s no secret Maryland struggled immensely with a road-heavy conference schedule this season.

Any hope the nonconference slate inspired was undermined by the Terps’ worst performance of the year in their first Big Ten match against Penn State. Maryland anticipated the difficulty of the game but still fell short, Marchiano said.

“We need to have the confidence to go and attack this game to the best of our abilities, and know that if we play at our highest level, we’ll have a chance to be competitive,” Marchiano said before the loss.

The matchup against the Nittany Lions was also the first time the Terps began a pattern of allowing opponents to score back-to-back goals in under a minute. It happened again against Michigan and Ohio State.

Maryland conceded the most goals in the Big Ten this season. Luckey faced double-digit shots nearly every match — with a record of 29 against Nebraska.

Future seasons will have to address the “talent gap” Marchiano observed this season, whether it be through harder training sessions or savvier recruiting. The coach called next season’s recruiting pivotal.

“If we’re able to recruit highly talented individuals who care a lot, then we have to make sure that we get everybody in this environment consistently working hard and consistently working together,” he said.