Maryland (0-3-1 B1G) takes on its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 24 Indiana (2-2 B1G) at Ludwig Field on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Maryland, who has lost its last three games, will hope to contain Big 10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week Melanie Forbes. The senior forward scored Indiana’s goal in its 1-0 win over Rutgers and both goals in its 2-0 win over Iowa last week.
The Terps will also look to solve Big 10 Goalkeeper of the Week Bethany Kopel. The senior notched two shutouts and a combined six saves in Indiana’s wins last week over Rutgers and Iowa.
The Hoosiers are coming off a loss to No. 13 Penn State on Thursday. After going ahead in the 53rd minute, Indiana conceded twice in eight minutes in the 2-1 loss to the Nittany Lions. Indiana is winless in its two road games this season, also losing to Northwestern 1-0 in the season season opener.
Maryland has not beaten Indiana since joining the Big Ten, going 0-2-3 against the Hoosiers in that time. The Terps only ever win over Indiana came back in 1994, with Maryland winning 2-0. The last meeting between the two was a 0-0 draw at Ludwig Field last season.
So far this season, Maryland has only led opponents for nine out of 392 minutes played in its first four games. The Terps have also conceded a goal first in every single game this season. After a 3-1 loss against Ohio State on Thursday, head coach Ray Leone and junior defender Adalee Broadbent are looking to improve.
“We just haven’t found the right chemistry on the field,” Leone said. “They’re giving a lot of effort, it’s just not good enough just yet. We just have to find the right chemistry to find a way to get the ball in the back of the net and take a little pressure off, because we can’t start every game down a goal.”
“I think we just need to change our mindset, get everyone on the same page, and be determined enough to get our first win,” Broadbent said. “Then, I think that’ll carry on into our next game.”
If Maryland is to break its poor form, it will have to beat its first ranked opponent since 2018, when the Terps topped No. 14 Northwestern 2-1 on senior day.
Sunday’s game against Indiana will be the second of five consecutive home games for the Terps, followed by a second consecutive game against a ranked team in No. 19 Rutgers next Saturday.
