When Terrapins women’s soccer forward Natasha Ntone-Kouo looked sluggish against SMU on Sunday, coach Jonathan Morgan brought Madison Turner off the bench.  

Turner had started all five games on defense before Sunday. But after a 2-1 loss to TCU on Friday, Morgan felt it would help Turner’s confidence to experiment with her at a different position.

The fourth-year coach’s decision paid off. Turner scored her first career goal in the 56th minute to knot the game at one before the Terps struck again minutes later to pull off a 2-1 victory.   

“We needed someone to give us a lift, and she did a great job,” Morgan said. “We didn’t know really where we were going to play her, but we just knew that we wanted to play her and let her confidence grow a bit and take some of the pressure of playing the backline off of her. We got lucky. She played with a lot of passion and energy. She … really kind of inspired getting that result.”

Turner had bounced between wide and center left back early in the season, but Morgan said she wasn’t comfortable in that role. 

At times, Morgan said Turner would lose her sense of urgency and take some plays off, an issue stemming from the skills she entered college with. 

“It’s still a work in progress,” Morgan said. “From a technical standpoint, she’s always been skillful. She’s been athletic. It’s more about staying dialed in for more consistent stretches.”

While she has played mostly defense since coming to College Park, the Indiana native played in the attacking midfield and occasionally as a forward in high school. TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked her the 43rd-best midfielder in the country, and she recorded 40 goals and 51 assists during her four-year career. 

Morgan said he likes to recruit attacking personalities and move them to defensive roles. But the transition hasn’t been as smooth for Turner, and Morgan opted to give her a chance in a role she’s more familiar with.

In her new spot, Turner can continue to develop into a more consistent defender while providing fresh legs in the attacking third for a team that tied for the fewest goals in the Big Ten last year.

“We really needed someone who can break defenders down on the wing,” Morgan said. “She got on the ball and the first thing she did, she’s taking on the wide backs and she’s going at them. She’s delivering crosses. She’s getting shots off. She’s creating opportunities for us.”