STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Captain
Stephen Turnbull had eyed the Stony Brook men's soccer team's March 13 spring opener a year ago for his triumphant return from a broken leg.
With a year of hindsight, though, Turnbull fully recognizes he would not have been ready for that match, which was abandoned anyway as coronavirus abruptly halted college athletics.
Turnbull, a 6-foot, 170-pound back from Holtsville, had suffered a season-ending fractured right fibula in an Oct. 4, 2019 match at New Hampshire that required surgery to repair.
"Honestly, by last March I was going back to the surgeon to do MRIs and X-rays again, because I was still in a lot of pain from the surgery and having to put in a metal plate and some screws and all that kind of stuff," Turnbull said. "My body was having a hard time adjusting. I wouldn't have been ready. I probably would have been forcing myself."
That said, Turnbull believes he would have been ready to return for a semi-pro soccer league last summer, and definitely by the traditional fall college season had it occurred.
He was slated to finally return to a college soccer match for the first time in nearly 17 months this upcoming Sunday at Fordham, but the Rams went on pause. Regardless, his return is imminent. He has appeared in 48 career matches with the Seawolves since 2016.
Barring a late addition to the schedule, Stony Brook now is scheduled to open its spring season on Feb. 26 at Hofstra.
"I'm just looking forward to being able to compete with the guys again," Turnbull said. "It's been a long time since we've gotten together and played a legitimate game. I'm just looking forward to seeing some of these players that I've seen grow now over two semesters' worth of time. I feel for those guys who are new to college soccer in the sense that they weren't able to get the proper experience like I had my freshman year and sophomore year — and all the years up until now."
Turnbull earned a bachelor's degree in economics in December. He currently is pursuing an advanced graduate certificate in coaching.
Because the NCAA has granted a blanket waiver, Turnbull and other soccer players throughout the nation will not be charged a year of eligibility this academic year. So he conceivably could return in the fall.
Still, Turnbull would jump at a professional opportunity after this semester if the opportunity presents itself.
"It's just a matter of timing," Turnbull said. "Hopefully it can be after the spring semester."
