Farmer’s First Career Goal Lifts Maryland Women’s Soccer Past Fordham, 1-0, in Season Opener

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland women’s soccer opened the 2026 season with a 1-0 victory over Fordham on Sunday afternoon at Ludwig Field, using a second-half goal from newcomer Jolie Farmer and a shutout performance from goalkeeper Meredith Fisher to start the year in the win column.

The victory extended Maryland’s unbeaten streak in season openers to 10 straight matches. The Terrapins are now 23-4-5 in season openers since 1995 and 2-0 in openers under head coach Michael Marchiano.

Farmer provided the decisive moment in the 64th minute. Lilly Bane worked the ball into the attacking area before finding Farmer, who finished the opportunity at 63:30 to give Maryland the 1-0 advantage. It was Farmer’s first collegiate goal and Bane’s first assist as a Terrapin.

Both Farmer and Bane were among several newcomers who immediately made an impact for a Maryland roster that underwent significant turnover during the offseason.

Farmer, a transfer from Penn State, finished with a team-high three shots and put two on goal. Bane added two shots in addition to her assist. Emily Lenhard, Mckinley Heaven and freshman Ella Petry each recorded two shots as Maryland generated 12 attempts overall.

Fisher Shines in First Career Start

Maryland’s defense was equally important in securing the season-opening victory.

Fisher made her first collegiate appearance and first career start after redshirting during the 2025 season. The goalkeeper stopped all four Fordham shots on goal to record a shutout in her debut.

Fordham tested Fisher several times during the first half.

Julia Acosta forced saves in the 16th and 18th minutes, while Renata Mercedes produced another opportunity in the 31st. Fisher answered every challenge and helped Maryland reach halftime tied 0-0.

Fordham produced six of its nine total shots before halftime, but Maryland’s defense prevented the Rams from breaking through.

Fisher made another save against Acosta less than three minutes into the second half, giving her four stops for the afternoon.

Maryland has now recorded a shutout in five of its last six season openers and has 24 season-opening shutouts in program history.

Maryland Takes Control After Halftime

The Terrapins increasingly controlled possession and territory after the break.

Maryland earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 53rd minute and began placing sustained pressure on Fordham goalkeeper Addison Green. Farmer forced Green into a save shortly before those corners before eventually breaking the scoreless tie.

After Farmer’s goal, Maryland’s defense protected the advantage during the final 26-plus minutes.

Fordham finished with nine shots compared with Maryland’s 12, while each team placed four attempts on goal. The Rams held a slight 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Maryland committed just three fouls compared with five for Fordham.

The Terrapins also continued to work several young players into the rotation. Six Maryland starters were making their first starts for the program, while Farmer, Bane, Abigail Stager and Ary Oliver all made their Maryland debuts.

Petry, Kamryn Cole, Paige Foye, Morgan Shannon and Ava Paolini also made their first collegiate appearances off the bench.

That depth could become important for a Maryland team attempting to continue rebuilding under Marchiano after showing improvement during the 2025 season.

New Faces Deliver Immediately

Maryland entered the season needing to replace significant offensive production, making Farmer’s immediate contribution particularly encouraging.

The Terrapins lost several important players from last season’s team, including leading scorer Kelsey Smith, who transferred to Florida. Maryland responded by bringing in a large group of newcomers and transfers to supplement returning players such as Heaven, Lenhard and goalkeeper Faith Luckey.

Farmer and Bane wasted little time showing they can become part of that replacement production.

Fisher also gave Maryland another encouraging development in goal. Luckey started all 18 matches last season, but Fisher’s four-save shutout gives Marchiano another viable option at the position.

Marchiano said after the game that Maryland’s defensive organization must remain one of the team’s foundations and praised Fisher for providing a steady presence behind the back line.

MSB Take

A 1-0 win over Fordham will not define Maryland’s season, but this was the type of opening performance the Terrapins needed.

Maryland did not overwhelm Fordham offensively, but the Terps remained patient, improved as the match progressed and eventually created the goal they needed. More importantly, several newcomers immediately contributed.

Farmer scoring her first collegiate goal, Bane recording the assist and Fisher producing a shutout in her first start could be significant developments for a program searching for another step forward.

Maryland finished just 6-11-1 last season despite showing signs of improvement, including consecutive Big Ten victories over Indiana and Purdue. The Terps will eventually face a much more difficult conference schedule, so collecting wins during the early nonconference portion of the schedule is important.

Sunday represented a solid start.

The defense allowed only four shots on goal, Maryland generated more opportunities than Fordham and the Terps received meaningful contributions throughout the roster.

Now they have an opportunity to build momentum quickly.

Up Next

Maryland remains at Ludwig Field on Thursday, Aug. 20, when the Terrapins host Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m.

The match will stream on B1G+.

Maryland enters that match 1-0-0, while Fordham fell to 0-2-0 with Sunday’s loss.