TOWSON, Md. - If you look up "unassuming" in the dictionary, a picture of D.J.
Soven does not appear. But, it could.
The true sophomore from Weston, Fla. made the game-winning field
goal on Saturday night to help defeat 14th-ranked Richmond at Johnny Unitas® Stadium, 31-28, as
time expired. The 5-7, 160-pounder was mobbed by his teammates after lifting
his team to a win that would have seemed improbable last year. But, nothing seems impossible for this year's team.
Soven came into the game
making two of three kicks, but none of those kicks came close to being as
important as the one he made to beat the Spiders. In
fact, according to
Soven, this was his first game-winning field goal since his junior varsity days at Cypress Bay High School.
"Coach [Rob Ambrose] prepares us for moments like that," said
Soven. "The guys did a great job blocking and [Brian] Potts did a great job holding and that was it."
Soven's field goal against Richmond was just the ninth game-winner in the history of the program. The last came in 2005 when Ron
Halbruner nailed a 29-yarder with one second left to defeat Morgan State, 29-26.
The first game-winning field goal came in 1974 when
former head athletic trainer Terry O'Brien kicked a 40-yarder to defeat Mansfield, 15-12, with 1:42 left back in the Division III days. Ed
Kulic had three game-winners, including the only game-winner in overtime back in 2001 against Morgan State (20-17).
Soven came in as a place kicker but was forced to become the team's
punter as Maryland transfer Nick Wallace had more experience kicking at
Indiana of Pennsylvania. So, Soven handled the punting duties and was
serviceable, averaging 33.5 yards per punt
with a long of 53 yards. He also had to punt 54 times, so handling both
kicking duties would have been a lot for a true freshman who was just
18 years old.
With freshman R.J. Peppers handling the punting
duties this season, Soven could concentrate on attempting field goals and the kick-off duties. His kickoffs have been strong with most ending up inside the five-yard line
with good hang time. After a very slow start against
Morgan State, Soven's kickoffs have allowed the coverage to improve as
the Tigers now rank in the middle of the CAA in coverage.
"Coach comes up with a good scheme every week," said Soven. "We
just do our part and the kickoff team is doing a great job getting down
there and being physical. They are really setting the tone for the
game."
Moving from punter to kicker for the first time since high school was not an easy transition according to Soven.
"It was a lot of hard work to get back to figuring out how to kick with a
holder, snapper and a line," said Soven. "The coaches put me in the
right position and right situations in practice to make sure I was
ready. [Making the game-winner] is not a big deal
because we do that in practice many times. Coach did a great job
making sure we were ready for any type of sitaution like that. It's just
like practice."
The Tigers won just one game last season and already have four victories in
their five five games. According to Soven, attitude has been a big key.
"It's a great feeling," said Soven. "I never knew a celebration
could hurt so bad. All of us in the locker room believe in each
other. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that
we can conquer anything. We're ready for anybody."
The improvement of the team's on-the-field performance has started
with an emerging sense of unity for a team that has struggled to find
that common bond the last two years. While there have been some changes
in personnel, most of the key players are back
from last season, so why has there been such a change this season?
"I believe the subtraction of some attitudes and mentalities in the
locker room [is a reason for the change]," said Soven. "This is a unit. Everybody is here for one
common goal and that's to win. [Doing things like] getting up at 5:30 a.m. in the
winter. Everybody is accountable. This is
a family."
