Freshman Tyler Poth is an athlete, but it’s what’s behind the athlete that makes a person who they are.

Tyler has been playing soccer for ten years. This in itself is an admirable accomplishment, but when breaking down those ten years, it seems as if Tyler has made soccer his main character trait, instead of showing people the various sides to his personality.

“I feel like there is nothing that interesting about me,” Tyler said. “I have a lot of pets, good friends, but mainly soccer is what I have done with my life.”

Tyler feels as if he has dedicated so much of his life to soccer that it has turned into a key component of his character. His father has played a big part in making sure that soccer is a huge focus in Tyler’s life.

Tyler’s father was also a soccer player in high school — a good one. He had hoped to play in college, but that didn’t work out for him. Now, Tyler has decided to carry on the legacy of playing soccer, and, just like his father, hopes to one day play in college.

“My dad definitely puts a lot of pressure on me,” Tyler said. “ He always tells me what I am doing wrong at games and stuff, and up until now, I haven’t really listened, but I should probably start because he was so good so he probably knows what he is talking about.”

Tyler’s connection with his father over soccer has given them a bond that is special to Tyler. During the journey of wanting to please his dad, he has found soccer to be a dependable outlet for him.

“Some practices are harder than others,” Tyler said. “But no feeling compares to winning. It feels like when you get an ‘A’ on a math test that everyone else failed. You can’t help but be more confident after a win.”

Those wonderful wins and other aspects of soccer have taught Tyler life skills that have helped him maintain a relatively balanced life.

One characteristic that has formed over the many years of playing the spots is his competitiveness. This is a quality that, when paired up with skill, can take you to many great places.

Tyler does his best to transfer that competitiveness to his everyday life in a positive way. For example, he will focus some of the energy he has on the field to his schoolwork, and in other cases with his friendships.

“I try to take everything I learned in soccer and use those skills throughout all the other aspects of my life,” Tyler said. “Doing this has helped me to learn a certain balance that only soccer could have helped me achieve.”

Tyler feels that at times he can appear to be quite simple. He’s sporty, he loves soccer, and he’s competitive, but these are not just words that should be thrown around as though they are easy to acquire.

It takes guts, and passion to start a sport at such a young age and it takes even more dedication to stick with that sport for ten years. Tyler has formulated a dream and a life plan from kicking a ball into a net.

He took something simple like a sport and broke it down into lessons and life skills that can help him in all aspects of his life.

“Soccer is such a big part of my life, [in] growing up and me and my dad’s relationship,” Tyler said. “It’s hard to think of myself as anything more than a soccer player, but in reality, everyone has more levels than just one.”

Tyler has more behind his athletic mask than he leads people to believe. He loves the sport, and he has intentions to stick with it for many more years. His belief system is rooted in soccer. He continues to believe that soccer will always be there as an outlet for him and [will] help him continue to grow both in soccer and life.

“I love the sport; soccer is a part of me and always will be,” Tyler said.