STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Inside the visitors' locker room at the University of New Hampshire after having a cast placed on his fractured right fibula, Stony Brook men's soccer back Stephen Turnbull removed the captain's band from his sleeve and handed it to fellow senior and friend Gustavo Fernandes.

"There was a lot of emotion and a lot of tears," Turnbull recalled Thursday. "When I had passed the captain's band to Gustavo, I told him he's got to carry it through. We live together. We're really close. That was probably one of the saddest moments I've had in my college career, for sure."

Four months after the Oct. 4 match that prematurely ended Turnbull's season, the Seawolves have started their spring practices. And the 6-foot, 170-pound Turnbull remains relegated to acting as a cheerleader and quasi-coach.

But Turnbull has made considerable progress from surgery to repair the displaced fracture as well as torn ligaments. He has started running on an anti-gravity treadmill and recently upped his mobility work to include high knees and shuffling.

Turnbull is eyeing Stony Brook's opening spring match on March 13 — which happens to be on his 22nd birthday — for his return to game action.

After having his first senior season cut short by the injury, Turnbull fully expects to anchor the Stony Brook back line in the fall. He then expects to graduate in December with a bachelor's degree in economics.

"The hope is to get into that game and get a few minutes to get myself back into the swing of things," Turnbull said about the March 13 match. "It's been a while. That's my goal. If not, after spring break we have four more games. I'll definitely be getting into those."

During an outdoor practice this week, Turnbull made the best of his idle time, trying to help his teammates with pointers. He playfully got on Gabriel Fernandes, Gustavo's younger brother, about a bad pass.

"And then he got down and did a couple of pushups because of that bad pass. That was pretty funny," Turnbull said.

Turnbull willingly accepts his teammates' ribbing about being a coach.

"Some of them do make jokes like that," he said. "I even get that when I'm a player. Sometimes it's hard giving pointers in a way that you can still be their friend and their peer. But, at the same time, you're trying to do it from a leadership standpoint and just make them better.

"At this level, everybody wants to think they know everything. But when was I freshman, I didn't know anything. Now that I'm a senior and older guy, there's a lot that I've learned. There's still a lot that I have to learn. But I've learned a lot. I try to share that with some guys. Some guys appreciate it. Some guys don't. Some guys call me, 'coach' for doing it."

As for the injury that cost him the second half of last season, it occurred when a UNH player came from behind and left both of his feet and landed on the outside of Turnbull's leg, by the mid-calf. Turnbull heard the fibula snap.

The local doctor who initially examined Turnbull correctly had diagnosed him with the displaced fracture and placed him in a cast while informing him the injury was season-ending.

"Obviously I didn't want to believe that," Turnbull said. "It was a pretty emotional time for me. I got on the bus and hoped for the best, even though I knew the worst. We got back at 2 or 3 in the morning. And me and my trainer went right over to the stadium where they have the X-ray machine. He did the X-rays that confirmed it was broken."

If there was a silver lining, Turnbull already knew he had an extra season of eligibility. He had been limited to three matches as a junior in 2018 because of a medical issue that left him hospitalized for five days.

Still, having to watch the rest of last season rather than contribute, and being on crutches rather than on the field, proved challenging given his importance to the team.

"I felt like the team was at a turning point," he said. "And I felt I could have taken that ship and sailed it."

Now, though, his recovery is nearly complete. And until Turnbull can again participate in practices, he is contributing as best he can by helping his teammates improve.

"I try to keep a good vibe, a good energy," Turnbull said. "It gets pretty cold out there."