A Nebraska player prepares a corner kick during the first half of the game against Indiana at Hibner Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Lincoln.
The Huskers are coming off their hardest stretch in program history.
NU has played five ranked teams in its last five matches, something the program has never done. Nebraska went 1-3-1 in that stretch, including draws with No. 25 Iowa, No. 11 Washington and No. 20 Wisconsin; a narrow loss to No. 2 Michigan State; and a win over No. 20 Michigan, marking its first ranked win since 2022.
The Huskers haven’t played a team with a losing record in nearly a month and a half, but they travel east this week to face two Big Ten opponents with a combined record of 6-13-4. They play Maryland (3-8-1) on Thursday, Oct. 8, and Rutgers (3-5-3) on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Maryland
The Terrapins are dead last in the Big Ten and among the worst teams in a power conference.
Maryland extended its losing streak to six matches, remaining winless without a draw in conference play and hasn’t scored a single goal against a Big Ten opponent. The Terrapins are one of 11 power-conference teams that are winless in conference play.
The Terps have been outscored 12-0 and outshot 93-46 in conference play as they sink to the bottom of the rankings.
Maryland has struggled in Big Ten play in recent years. Since the 2020 season, the Terps are 6-54-9 in conference play, and haven’t won a conference match since Sept. 2025.
Last season, the Terrapins lost 2-0 against Nebraska in Lincoln.
Maryland has a 1-1-7 series record against the Huskers. The Terps earned a 2-0 victory in 2024, their only Big Ten win in that season and their one and only win against Nebraska. Before a scoreless draw in 2021, the Huskers were 5-0 in their first matchups.
Although they sit at the bottom of the Big Ten in many metrics, the Terrapins are ahead of Nebraska in one thing: a leading scorer.
Maryland sophomore forward Jolie Farmer has scored a team-high four goals this season. Farmer scored four goals in three games against Fordham, FDU and Virginia Tech. She hasn’t scored since.
Rutgers
Before a 1-0 loss to Iowa, the Scarlet Knights won their second conference game and first ranked match of the season, defeating No. 14 Wisconsin 3-1, marking Rutgers’ first ranked win since 2024.
After finishing nonconference play 1-1-3, the Scarlet Knights started Big Ten play with a 1-0 win over Oregon, scoring the deciding goal less than five minutes in the second half.
Following its strong start, Rutgers lost three straight to No. 12 Washington, Purdue and No. 12 UCLA. The Huskies defeated the Scarlet Knights 1-0 in the match directly before they played the Huskers, and had only allowed two goals all season until they gave up two to Nebraska.
Rutgers has won two straight against NU. In their most recent match, the Huskers gave up two unanswered second-half goals, falling 3-2. Before the 2021 season, Nebraska had tied with Rutgers five straight times dating back to 2014.
Two players lead the charge for the Scarlet Knights. Freshman forward Lilia Calvert and senior forward Ashley Baran each have three goals, and Calvert leads the team with two assists.
The defense has also improved after a rough start to the season. After allowing nine goals in five games, they’ve allowed six in six Big Ten matches.
The Huskers will take on the Terrapins in College Park on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. CDT. The match will be televised on Big Ten Plus.