After assisting on Maryland men’s soccer’s first goal of the season Sept. 10 against West Virginia, defender Chase Gasper missed out on his chance at the starting lineup four days later against Northwestern.

Gasper was sidelined with a back injury that left him with an unknown return date. It was his third consecutive season with an injury that pulled him out of the action.

Maryland went 0-5 in 2017 while Gasper nursed a groin injury, similar to the one that forced him to miss 17 games with UCLA in 2016. So without Gasper on the field, the Terps had reason to be concerned.

But after missing six games, Gasper returned for Maryland’s last two contests against top-10 opponents — including a win against No. 7 Denver on Tuesday. Now the Terps will look to take advantage with Gasper back on defense when they host Ohio State on Friday.

“It’s good to see Chase on the field. It’s good to see a lot of our guys on the field,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “[Tuesday] was the healthiest group of players I’ve had all year.”

[Read more: To upset No. 7 Denver, Maryland men’s soccer neutralized the nation’s leading scorer]

Maryland has dealt with a slew of injuries since preseason began about two months ago.

Midfielder William James Herve couldn’t play in the season opener against Washington, though he quickly recovered to feature in every game since. That wasn’t the case for forward Brayan Padilla, the team’s top-ranked freshman recruit who was sidelined with an ankle injury that kept him out until Oct. 5.

As the season progressed, more mishaps arose. Forward Sebastian Elney was out two games with an ankle injury. Forward Paul Bin, tied with Herve for a team-high three goals, missed a single game against Rutgers.

[Read more: With its season nearing an end, Maryland men’s soccer needs wins — not moral victories]

Still, the Terps hung tough, especially in the games without Gasper. Maryland went 3-2-1 without one of its three captains, including a win over then-No. 18 Coastal Carolina.

On Tuesday, during Gasper’s second game back, he contributed swiftly with a fifth-minute assist.

“It was an incredible feeling,” Gasper said. “Not being able to play with your brothers, your teammates, it hurts. I was chomping at the bit the four weeks I was out. Watching the games from the sidelines — no player wants to do that.”

The senior has watched many games from the sidelines, many more than he envisioned he would in college.

In 2016, Gasper played the first three games, then missed the rest of the season, which turned out to be his last with UCLA. He missed five of the final six games last year, and he’s had to watch a chunk of his senior season go unplayed.

Gasper credits the team’s training staff for not only helping him back to health, but also for keeping him positive throughout the process.

“How they helped me with my body and help me mentally, I can’t thank them enough,” Gasper said. “They’re the greatest trainers in the world. They’re the greatest friends in the world. They’re the greatest support team in the world. I owe everything to them.”

Maryland could’ve used Gasper’s presence in the middle of this season, when the team lost to Wisconsin, was shut down by No. 13 Michigan State and played to a scoreless draw on the road against Georgetown.

But in his return to the field, Maryland nearly beat then-No. 4 Indiana in regulation before losing in the 90th minute. On Tuesday, Gasper contributed with an assist to Bin, the eventual game-winning goal.

“It’s nice to have a leader back on the pitch and telling you what to do and motivating you,” Bin said. “It’s nice to have him back and as you saw in his performance [Tuesday], he was just unbelievable.”

Gasper has already helped his team in a late NCAA tournament push, one that was in jeopardy before knocking off Denver. If they stay healthy and maintain their level of play, Bin said, there’s no reason the Terps’ season should end short of an 18th straight tournament appearance.

Whether that happens or not, Gasper is simply thankful to be back on the field as he nears the end of his college career.

“Injuries are very tough,” Gasper said. “I never had them coming into college, and ever since college, I’ve been hit with the injury bug. I’ve had great teammates to support me, great coaches to support me, and I can’t thank all of our training staff enough.”