During the beginning of the 2017 Maryland men’s soccer season, coach Sasho Cirovski said defender Donovan Pines was being too tough on himself at times.

Despite garnering Big Ten All-Freshman honors the year prior, Pines hadn’t yet developed confidence befitting the 6-foot-5 center back.

After averaging just roughly 38 minutes per game as a rookie, Pines began his sophomore year in a battle for playing time, and it took a while for him to trust himself.

A year later, Pines has established himself as not only one of the conference’s best defenders, but as one the nation’s elite as a mainstay of the Maryland backline.

“He’s found a nice balance now of making sure he isn’t too hard on himself and that he can just play,” Cirovski said. “He’s now in the flow. He’s certainly been one of the standout defenders in the whole country this year.”

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Pines and Miles Stray, who transferred to San Diego State after last year, traded starts for the first three weeks of the 2017 campaign. Pines only started in three of the team’s first six games, including a nine-minute performance against Rutgers.

Other than missing two games late last season due to a concussion, Pines has started every game since that 3-0 win against the Scarlet Knights.

Pines earned Big Ten All-Second Team honors after becoming one of Maryland’s two starting center defenders in mid-September. He started in eight of the Terps’ nine clean sheets last year and became a focal point of a backline that conceded 20 goals in 19 games.

“I just played my position and waited for my time,” Pines said. “I adjusted pretty well and then I got my starting spot and I had fun for the rest of the season.”

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This year, Pines has only been off the field for six minutes in the team’s first six games. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair is the only Terp who has played more than him. The Clarksville native has been the backbone of a backline that has conceded just four goals this season.

Alongside center back Johannes Bergmann, Pines has helped lead a team ranked 18th in the country in average goals allowed per game. After conceding two goals in the first 38 minutes of the season, the Terps have allowed just as many in the last 547.

“Having Donnie back there, sometimes to a fault you think, ‘I don’t have to make this run because I know he’s there,'” midfielder Eli Crognale said. “Donnie’s absolutely the best defender in the country. You can’t get around him … he’s unbelievable.”

Pines is never the fastest player on the field, but to compensate for that, Pines has mastered being in the right spots when he needs to be and using his big frame to fend off smaller players.

While he makes sure he’s putting himself in the right positions to make himself a more successful player, he’s also shown the ability to assist the midfielders in front of him, aiding the team’s cohesiveness.

“He’s always talking to me, telling me where to go and to make sure I have guys behind me, in front me, telling me left or right, ” Crognale said. “We both have each other’s back on the field so it’s a good relationship.”

With defender Chase Gasper’s expected return from a back injury unclear and several players such as defender Ben Di Rosa recovering from illnesses last week, Pines’ defensive leadership will be imperative until the team gets back to full health. The Terps are nearing a tough three-game stretch in 10 days that includes two conferences matches.

Luckily, they’ll take on that challenge with a Pines who believes in himself. He still pushes himself constructively, but not as tough on himself as he once was during the early stages of his college development.

“I can’t remember the moment, but sometimes the light just goes on,” Cirovski said. “And certainly for Donovan, the light has come on, and it’s shining bright.”