Coach Jonathan Morgan observes from the sideline during the Terps’ 1-0 loss to Wisconsin at Ludwig Field on Oct. 24, 2015.
Terrapins women’s soccer coach Jonathan Morgan resigned Tuesday, according to a news release.
Kevin Dempsey, an assistant this past season, has been named the interim head coach.
Morgan’s contract was set to expire Jan. 31, 2017. But the fourth-year coach resigned before the final season of his contract.
“I would like to thank the University of Maryland for the opportunity to lead the women’s soccer program the past four seasons,” Morgan said in a statement. “I am very fortunate to have worked with so many incredible young women. Their commitment to be the best on the field and in the classroom is so very appreciated. I look forward to following their successes in all facets of life.”
READ MORE: Maryland misses postseason due to scoring woes
With the Terps, Morgan was 35-36-9. After the Terps finished with a 14-7-2 record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2012 under Morgan, the Terps haven’t finished with a winning record, nor have they qualified for the NCAA tournament.
This season, with 10 seniors on the roster, the Terps tied for last in the Big Ten with a 6-12-1 overall record and a 1-9-1 conference mark. And for the second consecutive year, Morgan’s team missed out on the Big Ten tournament, which eight of the 14 conference schools qualify for.
Morgan told The Diamondback on Oct. 29 that he wasn’t concerned about his job status and was excited to coach the Terps through their 2016 campaign based on the recruiting class he planned to bring in for the upcoming season.
“The pressure I put on myself is we want to win,” Morgan said. “I feel like our recruiting has been really fantastic in the last three years. If you go around the country and you ask about the players we have coming in here, they’d say Maryland’s on to something. But I’m not concerned about security.”
Morgan took over coaching duties in 2012 for former coach Brian Pensky. Pensky helped rebuild the program and led the Terps to two NCAA tournament Sweet 16 berths and the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Morgan served as an assistant coach under Pensky from 2007 to 2011, but he didn’t make much progress off Pensky’s efforts.
Morgan’s tenure has been marked by a lack of offensive production. The Terps ranked in the bottom three of the Big Ten in goals the past two years. And none of the players Morgan recruited as a head coach have won a postseason match.
Dempsey served as an assistant coach at LSU from 2010 to 2015 before joining the Terps in February. He has previous head coaching experience with the College of Charleston from 2001 to 2010, where he held an 86-70-22 overall record and a 54-32-8 Southern Conference play mark.
A national search for a new coach will begin immediately, according to the news release.
