Maryland women’s soccer came into Thursday having lost its last six matches.

Against Nebraska at Ludwig Field, the Terps had different fortunes, sort of.

The Terps broke their losing streak with a 0-0 draw with Nebraska.  

While a scoreless draw for most teams could be a neutral sign, for the Terps it can be viewed positively because of their dubious streak. 

“We need to improve in a big way as a team if we want to win at this level. We’re not quite there yet, but the team worked very hard tonight,” head coach Michael Marchiano said. 

However, the Terps showed renewed energy on Thursday. They displayed a strong effort defensively and a new aggressive offense approach.

The Terps were able to have several attempts early on goal, but they were still unable to find the back of the net — something they didn’t do all night. They haven’t scored a goal since before conference play started..

A lot of the draw can be credited to good defense. 

Maryland’s defense stood out immediately, limiting scoring chances for Nebraska, giving their offense more time on attack. 

Goalie Faith Lucky made big plays in the second half to prevent Nebraska from scoring. On one of Nebraska’s six corner kicks, Luckey caught a nearly perfectly centered ball, preventing a score for Nebraska. 

In the first half, the Terps limited the Cornhuskers to only two shots. Maryland produced four shots and two corners,

Maryland’s offense pushed through Nebraska, creating several opportunities to score. 

McKinley Heaven, Peyton Bernard, Avery Gillahan and Kamryn Cole all put up a shot in the first half but ultimately could not translate their aggressive offense into a goal.

Despite Maryland’s lackluster offense, their defense remained diligent through the first half of the game. Goalie Faith Luckey broke up several offensive attacks, keeping the Cornhuskers in check.

At halftime, Maryland outshot Nebraska 4-2, showing improvement in the Terps’ offense. 

The Terps kept the same energy going into the second half, with Lillian Bane getting off the first shot of the half in the first 3 minutes. The defense remained vigilant, breaking up Nebraska’s offense by not allowing any shots until the 66th minute.

“You give yourself a chance to pick up results when the group is really organized defensively and really competitive defensively,” Marchiano said.

Forward Julie Farmer led several explosive offensive drives, including a low right shot on goal that was narrowly blocked by the Nebraska goalkeeper. 

Maryland Goalkeeper Faith Luckey highlighted her teammates’ performance, allowing only four shots in 90 minutes.

“I think we were consistently good for 90 minutes, and I think that’s something that we strive to do,” Luckey said.

Despite increased offensive intensity and solid defense, Maryland was able to break their losing streak, getting their first draw of conference play. 

Tonight’s draw shows progress as they earn their first conference point, but their inability to translate good defense into goals continue to prevent them from getting their first Big Ten victory.

Faith Luckey hopes that their performance today can spark momentum heading into Sunday’s match against Northwestern.

“I think it definitely gives us a confidence boost in going into Sunday’s game,” Luckey said.