‘Incredible’ Pines stands tall for Terps
River Hill graduate excels passing most tests as athletic leader at center of back line
COLLEGE PARK — “I love cells.” Donovan Pines said this earnestly Tuesday, outside the Varsity Team House, as his Maryland men’s soccer team stretched out before an afternoon practice on a nearby field. Pines also loves the biology department at Maryland, loves the environment, but this organic-chemistry course he’s taking this semester? That, he does not love.
Pines would one day like to work in the science field, and “orgo,” as it’s known at schools across the country, is said to be a weed-out class. Between the hours he’s put NCAA first round Tonight, 7 Video: Big Ten Network Plus in as the lynchpin of the Terps’ back line this fall and the classes he’s missed for road games and the exam he had to push back recently because of a concussion, orgo could be going better. He’s needed to enlist a tutor’s help. Coach Sasho Cirovski calls Pines a “perfectionist”; the sophomore defender would settle for survival at this point.
“Just trying to pull out a good grade and pass the class,” Pines said. “That’s the goal for right now.”
Ahead of a first-round NCAA tournament match tonight against visiting Albany (14-4-2), Maryland’s aim isn’t so different. Losers of five straight for the first time since 1993, the Terps (10-5-3) have lowered their sights in recent weeks. They’ve gone from wanting a Big Ten Conference title to wanting to just get healthy. After scoring four goals as an undefeated No. 1 seed and still losing in its NCAA tournament opener last season, Maryland would settle for fewer goals and one more game.
“Ever since we lost last season,” Cirovski said, “this is the only thing that we were looking forward to.”
For the first time in over a month, he’ll have his defense intact. With left back Chase Gasper (groin) set to rejoin center backs Pines and Johannes Bergmann and right back George Campbell (McDonogh), Maryland will rely once more on the back four, who in their first 12 games together allowed just seven goals. To get to Sunday’s second-round game at No. 10 seed Western Defender Donovan Pines is trying to help the Terps break out of a five-game losing streak in their opening NCAA tournament game tonight against Albany.