Devine provides spark, scoring punch for Collinsville

In a season where things haven’t always gone smoothly, Tyler Devine has been  a steadying force for the Collinsville soccer team.

A senior midfielder, Devine is a team captain and the only four-year letter  winner for the Kahoks, who were 4-8 overall and 1-2 in the Southwestern  Conference heading into Tuesday’s home game against Granite City. Collinsville  entered the week with a five-game losing streak, including a pair of losses (5-1  to Chatham Glenwood and 3-2 to Champaign Centennial) last weekend in the Titan  Invitational at Glenwood.

“Tyler is one of our most important players because he’s kind of a utility  person,” Collinsville coach Myles Hensler said. “I can use him up top, at  midfield or in the wide mid position. He has a high work rate and he does a lot  of things very well on the field.

“He gives us a little spark to our step and tries to get his teammates going.  He was supposed to start for us last year, but he had a concussion within the  first two games and later he hurt, so he was in and out throughout the entire  season. That was a big loss for us, but last year we had more seniors and had  some other options to fill his spot, but this year he’s stayed healthy and he’s  contributed very well.”

Devine’s injury-plagued junior year caused him to miss all but a handful of  games.

“I got hurt about 30 seconds into the second game of last season against  Alton Marquette,” Devine said. “The trainer there told me it wasn’t a  concussion, but to still go to the hospital,” Devine said. “When I went to the  hospital, they said I had a pretty bad concussion and I missed about a  month.

“Three games after I got back from the concussion, I tore the MCL on my left  knee and that was the end of my season. This year, just making this far without  an injury, I’m happy because I was injured my sophomore year. Against Granite  City, I got hit in the kidney and it messed up my left leg and I was out for  about four games.”

Collinsville’s recent skid is a source of frustration for Devine, who is the  team’s leading scorer with five goals and three assists.

“It seems like we can’t find each other out on the field,” Devine said. “We’ll do fine for a couple minutes and then we’ll just give up. We have to keep  trying.

“I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve accomplished, but I wish we could win  more. We should be a lot better than 4-8.”

Coming into this season, Devine knew he would have to take a leadership  role.

“My freshman year I set the bench for varsity and only got a couple minutes  and it was the pretty much the same my sophomore year, and last year I was  hurt,” Devine said. “I’ve got to keep these guys motivated and keep with  positive attitudes.”

Devine started playing club soccer at age 6 for Metro United, which has since  merged with St. Louis Scott Gallagher.

“I love playing select and I’ve met so many people over the years,” Devine  said. “That’s why I’m here today, because of playing club all those years.

“I usually play wing mid or forward, but more recently in high school it’s  been forward. I think I’m more comfortable at forward because I can receive with  my back to the goal and play it back (to a teammate) and get it back again.”

Devine hopes to continue playing soccer in college.

“I’ve had a couple offers from local schools and I don’t want to go too far,” Devine said. “I want to major in multi-media development, so I want a school  which offers that.

“Soccer won’t play that big a role in my decision. If a school has my major  and it has soccer, that’s great, but I have to follow what I want to do in my  life.”

SOCCER NOTES: Inconsistency has been a problem for Collinsville this season  and that was especially evident in the pair of losses at Glenwood last  weekend.

“We can be very competitive and very good when we want to be, but there are  times that we just don’t show up to play,” Hensler said. “That’s due to  leadership and who is going to hold each other accountable on the field.

“Right now we’re trying to find somebody who will hold every single person  accountable. Tyler does his best to try to cover that role, but it takes at  least two or three people to make sure the team is doing what it’s supposed to  be doing.”