One shot on goal, 18 cumulative fouls and jeers from fans set the scene for another heartbreaking Maryland women’s soccer loss. The Terps fell, 2-0, to No. 7 Iowa at the Iowa Soccer Complex Thursday night.

Without any signs of improvement against high-level teams, the Terps’ spiral toward the bottom of the Big Ten continued.

“That was not a good night for us, and part of that is down to playing a really good opponent, but the other part of that is down to us not meeting certain demands of the game,” Marchiano said.

Maryland was seeking its first road win and goal of the season, but instead put up just three shots in another putrid offensive performance — its fourth straight loss.

The Terps (6-8, 2-5 Big Ten) have outperformed expectations this season after coaches projected them to place last in the preseason poll. Still, hopes of a postseason appearance have been dimmed by lackluster performances in conference play so far.

Maryland has struggled to find results the last two weeks amid a tough stretch that included a West Coast trip and Thursday’s visit to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes, who sit in the upper tier of the conference table with 14 points, allowed just one shot on goal.

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Unlike Maryland’s historically bad 2024 season, the Hawkeyes are coming off an appearance in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16.

Iowa’s No. 7 ranking is the highest figure among Big Ten teams. Looking to bounce back after a draw against Michigan, the Hawkeyes pressured Maryland’s defense from the start.

Iowa thought it found the first goal of the game after a long pass from midfielder/forward Liana Tarasco allowed forward/midfielder Kenzie Roling to chip in the ball, but an offsides call quickly overturned the point.

But Roling wasn’t willing to leave the match without notching a goal. Her next scoring attempt on a fast, low shot to the back left gave Iowa a first-half advantage.

The Hawkeyes’ second goal came from a pass that crossed in front of the net, which forward/midfielder Kelli McGroarty guided into the net with her head in the 75th minute.

Goalkeeper Faith Luckey helped keep the game within reach. She was peppered with 27 total shots and made nine saves without much help from defenders — which has become typical for the redshirt sophomore.

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The Hawkeyes’ defense did what the Terps have been unable to all season. Anytime an attacker looked to create a scoring opportunity, they were immediately flanked by a swarm of Iowa players.

Iowa clearly made Maryland’s scoring leaders Kelsey Smith and Ava Morales priorities. At one point, Smith barely crossed into the penalty box before four Hawkeye defenders surrounded her.

Maryland has the second-fewest fouls in the nation. But Thursday, the Terps recorded a season-high 12 fouls, suggesting a change in strategy to stop attackers in a more aggressive manner.

Yellow cards flew in the second half. Maryland’s Delaney DeMartino and Iowa’s Liana Tarasco committed infractions within two minutes of each other early in the period.

After the yellow card on Tarasco, defender Tahirah Turnage-Morales flagged down the head referee before taking a free kick. Gameplay was subsequently paused, with referees having to move fans back who were shouting expletives and harassing players on the field.

“I don’t think we gave ourselves much of a chance to be competitive,” Marchiano said. “They wanted it more than we did. We need players who are going to give that, and whether that’s players [on] this team or players that we add to the program moving forward, that’s only something that they can answer if they’re willing to give what it takes to be successful at this level.”

“We’re disappointed to not control the things that we can control, and we’re running out of opportunities to get that right,” he added.