St. Charles East alum Hull battles back to excel at SIU-Edwardsville

By now, you have probably heard the adage that it's tough to keep a good man down.

Several musicians, Eddie Money, Alabama, Thunder, James and Bobby Purify, among others, have written and performed songs which contain similar lyrics and sentiment.

Over the course of the past several years, T.C. Hull has proved the saying accurate.

Hull, a St. Charles native, loves the game of soccer.

The sport has helped mold the 2014 St. Charles East High School graduate into the conscientious young man he is today as a junior student-athlete attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

A member of the Illinois Olympic Development Program from 2009-2012, Hull played club soccer at Campton United SC and helped the team capture the state championship in 2013.

As a junior forward at St. Charles East in 2012, Hull earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region honors after scoring a team-high 31 goals with 10 assists as the Saints captured regional and sectional titles before their 2-1 supersectional loss to eventual state champion Warren.

However, his senior year didn't go as planned.

Late in the spring his junior year, Hull suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and underwent surgery that sidelined him just prior to the State Cup and cost him the first half of his senior campaign with the Saints.

Then it happened again.

"Around the six-month mark, I was cleared by doctors to come back and play," recalled Hull. "A little while later, I was kicking the ball around with a few friends in the backyard when I tore it again."

Same injury.

Same knee.

Same surgery.

So much for his senior season.

"That was kind of rough," admitted Hull. "It was tough to watch."

It also was tough to watch Hull rooting for his teammates from a wheelchair during the Saints' 1-0 sectional championship loss to Lake Park in November of 2013.

After redshirting his freshman year at SIU-E, Hull returned to the field in 2015 and appeared in all 18 games with 7 starts for the Cougars, scoring his first collegiate goal during a 2-0 win at San Diego.

"It was a real good year for me," said Hull. "I had extra time to recover."

Last season, Hull struggled with a hamstring injury midway through but returned late in the year as the Cougars (10-5-7) advanced to the third round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, knocking off 13th-ranked Michigan State and 11th-ranked Butler before suffering a 2-1 loss (in PKs) to eventual national runner-up Wake Forest.

"It was one of the best experiences I've ever had," said Hull. "The place was packed when we played Michigan State and playing before 5,000 fans at Wake Forest was crazy. It's one of the coolest atmospheres I've ever seen."

Last month, the redshirt junior recorded his first collegiate game-winning goal on a header off a 1-touch cross from teammate Eric Tejada with 14 seconds remaining in the Cougars' 1-0 road win at Princeton.

"There's no better feeling than scoring a game-winning goal and celebrating with your teammates," said Hull.

"T.C. has been a very positive influence for us coming off the bench," said Cougars coach Mario Sanchez. "He has the ability to help settle the team and keep possession. Most importantly, he is very reliable."

Earlier this month, SIU-E opened its tenure in the Mid-American Conference with a 3-1 victory over Bowling Green before a homecoming crowd of 4,000.

"It was an awesome experience," said Hull. "We draw a lot of fans, especially for homecoming games."

Hull enjoyed his own homecoming of sorts last Saturday as SIU-E (7-7-1, 2-1) earned a 1-0 overtime win over Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

While playing collegiate soccer at the Division I level can be a grind at times, Hull has successfully balanced homework and headers.

Last year, Hull received the Missouri Valley Conference's prestigious Elite 18 Award - presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the finals site in each of the MVC's 18 team championships.

The business major (sports management) owns a 3.89 GPA.

"I work hard to get good grades but I had no clue I would get it (the award)," said Hull. "It was a very humbling honor."

Hull, who praises his parents, Clint and Amy, for their ongoing support, still sees himself as a player similar to his high school days.

"I don't think my game has changed too much," he said. "I like to rely on my speed. When I look back and compare high school to college soccer, you realize how much faster the game is now."

Sanchez is happy to have Hull on his side.

"T.C. is the perfect role model for SIU-E and what student-athletes are supposed to be," said the coach. "He is involved in the community, he earns good grades and he is a positive role model for kids."

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com