New Women’s Soccer Coach Named; Helped Lead Rutgers to No. 3 Ranking and 2021 Big Ten Championship

Maryland native, 2021 Big Ten Champion and national championship semifinalist Meghan Ryan Nemzer was named head coach of the Maryland women’s soccer program today by Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Damon Evans.

Nemzer, who graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, spent the last 14 years on the coaching staff at her alma mater, Rutgers University.

“I am so thankful for Damon Evans, Shawn Flynn and the search committee for their time and effort through this entire process,” she said. “What got me excited early on through this process was the vision and values we all share for this program. Our goal will be to lead a championship vision culture and focus on the process to achieve this goal. The University of Maryland is a world-class institution and I am so lucky to be back home and can’t wait to get started.”

As Rutgers’ associate head coach for the past eight years, Nezmer helped the Scarlet Knights to the 2021 College Cup, which they played in last weekend, and a final ranking of No. 3 in the nation. Rutgers captured the 2021 Big Ten Championship, going undefeated in conference play (10-0) and posting an overall record of 19-4-2.

“Meghan had all of the attributes we were seeking: someone who has won at the highest levels in the sport; someone who understands what it takes to build a program; someone who has outstanding recruiting connections and contacts; someone who knows the Big Ten Conference and someone who has tremendous pride for the state of Maryland,” Evans said. “She was the total package for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Meghan, her husband Joe, and their daughter, Bethany, to the One Maryland family.”

This past season, the Scarlet Knights earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on the way to the College Cup, where they dropped a 1-0 decision to eventual champion Florida State. With Nemzer, Rutgers earned bids in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments and 12 times in her 14 years on staff with two NCAA College Cup appearances. In 2021, the Scarlet Knights posted the first undefeated season in Big Ten conference play since 2005.

Nemzer was part of the 2021 North Region Staff of the Year, led by head coach Mike O’Neill. In 2018, she was named one of the Top 5 Associate/Assistant Coaches in the NCAA by Top Drawer Soccer.

As a student-athlete, Nemzer served as a co-captain for the Scarlet Knights 2005-07. After an injury caused her to miss her freshman campaign, she started 67 of 75 games through the rest of her career. Nemzer was a two-time Big East Academic All-Star, a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Week, an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week and a SoccerBuzz Elite Team of the Week honoree.