Under the lights in Madison, Wisconsin Tyler Hurst slides for a low, driven cross during double-overtime, touching the ball past a diving goalkeeper to win the National Premier Soccer League Championship. The crowd erupts as the television cameras focus on Hurst sprinting to his onrushing teammates.

“That moment I put the ball in the back of the net, four or five years of Sonoma County Sol went through my head in a rush. I celebrated with the guys I had worked so hard with the entire year, jumping up and down, chanting and cheering ‘Sol! Sol! Sol!’ There is nothing better,” Hurst said.

Sol made it to the national championships the last three out of four years, but Tyler’s goal captured the team’s first ever National Championship. His many years with Sol challenged him and the year following the National Championship, Hurst re-entered Santa Rosa Junior College to play soccer after a six-year hiatus.

This year the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) awarded Hurst All-American honors for his 20-goal, 15-assist season with the SRJC Bear Cubs. Hurst led the team to the quarter finals of the state championship. He said it felt amazing to receive the honor, but that he would trade it in a second for a state championship title.

Hurst’s exuberance and desire to win led to his request to change positions early in the season after the team got off to a rocky start. SRJC head coach Marty Kinahan accepted Hurst’s request and his flexibility led to an explosion of goals and assists.

“The best thing, or rather, the worst thing I could say about Tyler is he enjoys soccer more than any kid I’ve ever coached,” Kinahan said.

As a youth Hurst played for the Santa Rosa United Heat a local legend soccer team, which captured six state cup victories consecutively, a feat shared by only three teams in the entire U.S. He loved the intense, competitive atmosphere that sometimes led to fights between teammates at practice. Through his integral role as a central midfielder, Hurst directed others and controlled the game. During the 2001 State Cup Championship, Hurst scored two goals, ensuring a trip to the regional tournament and landing Heat a number three national ranking. The Heat’s premier achievement came from playing an age group up, winning the State Cup Championship by an astounding score of 3-0.

Between the ages of 14 and 16 Hurst garnered more recognition for his talent on the California State Team, comprised of the top players in the state and only two steps away from tryouts with the U.S. National Team for his age. Hurst regrets not training harder to make the most of the opportunity. He did not make the National Team tryouts.

Hurst believes his soccer knowledge and ability ranks high enough to play professional soccer, but feels he lacks the athleticism. “His knowledge surpassed my own in some areas, and he never stopped surprising me,” Kinahan said.

Teammates on Sol echo Kinahan’s support. Former Under-18 England National Team captain Lee Summerscales and Chris Daly, former team captain of National Champions SSU, both feel his work ethic and technique make Hurst an essential asset to any team.

Though Hurst’s career is undoubtedly successful, he regrets not working harder in school. “I think if I had buckled down and done better at school, I could have gone Division I out of high school,” Hurst said. “It has always been hard for me to balance the really difficult classes with five days a week of soccer and a job.”

With Hurst’s years of high-level soccer numbered, he has only two wishes: to capture another National Championship with Sol and to play at Sonoma State next fall with his brother Trevor Hurst. Trevor made the NSCAA Division II All-Region team this past fall after transferring from SRJC. Tyler said he would do anything and everything to make that possible and SSU head coach Marcus Ziemer expressed interested in Hurst. “He’s a great player and would strengthen our team if we could get him here,” Ziemer said.

Should Hurst not gain admittance to SSU, he hopes to receive offers from other Division II colleges for the upcoming season.

Hurst appreciates all the coaching he received over the years, and now the next soccer generation can expect to benefit from his knowledge—Hurst coaches for Santa Rosa United. He would like to help kids develop good training habits and instill in them his love for the game.