Chartiers Valley striker named Almanac MVP
Sean Tinney has been named the 2016 Almanac MVP for boys’ soccer. The Chartiers Valley senior led the team to a WPIAL title by scoring a team-high 23 goals and collecting 12 assists.
Sean Tinney hoists the WPIAL trophy that Chartiers Valley captured as a result of its 1-0 victory against Mars in the district championship match.
Soccer’s unpredictability appeals to Sean Tinney. It’s what makes the Chartiers Valley striker excel.
“Creativity is my strength and soccer is such a dynamic sport,” he said. “There are no real set plays like in football so anything can happen.”
When Tinney’s toe touched the ball, goals surely happened. He fired in 23 scores and dished up 12 assists this season in leading the Colts to their first WPIAL title in 15 years. CV finished 18-5 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.
“Sean has been one of the best attacking players in the WPIAL for the past few years,” CV skipper Garrett MacKenzie said. “He was a game changer at the forward position and played a huge part in the success we experienced this year.”
Indeed, Tinney was a leader. He was the sole captain on a club that featured 11 seniors.
“Because I was the only captain, I knew if anything happened, say we conceded a goal and the other team would go up, it was my job as well as the other seniors to lift the team back up,” he said.
While recognized as a goal-producer, it was Tinney’s teammate, Jimmy Boyle, that recorded the decisive tally in CV’s 1-0 victory against Mars in the WPIAL Class AAA championship match on Nov. 5 at Highmark Stadium.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m looked at as a goal scorer but I did not get the game-winning goal in the final. Jimmy did. But that works. It’s fine by me as long as the team wins. Winning the WPIAL championship was very exciting. It’s been the highlight in my career.”
For Tinney, there have been many high points. He earned All-Regional honors recently to go along with his other accolades. He has been a three-time all-section performer as well as a two-time all-district and all-state player.
“Sean played in a tough section and had an outstanding year, not only scoring goals, but also getting key assists,” MacKenzie said.
Scoring goals, however, makes Tinney happy. He said that he could never be a defender and that he was made to be a scorer. The foundation was laid early. At age 5, Tinney started playing soccer because everyone in the family played the sport. His father, Patrick, played at CV. “He says that he was good,” the 17-year-old son of Sandra Tinney said with a laugh. His brother, Jesse, plays at Mt. Union College.
“It’s just a sport we all played,” said Tinney, who quit baseball when he started to play club soccer.
Tinney played for the Beadling Soccer Club, helping his team win a state cup as recently as 2014. He currently plays for North United Premier and continues to hone his skills.
“I want to improve my combination play,” he said. “Get in space. Get the ball and work my way up the field. I feel I have improved by coming to the stadium and working out with other guys during the off season.”
Tinney’s progress has grabbed the attention of college recruiters. Currently, he is considering Slippery Rock, Penn State-Behrend and Mount Union among his choices, although other schools such as Lock Haven and Connecticut have expressed interest after the Colts won the district crown.
“I definitely want to play in college,” Tinney said. “It’s been a dream of mine. I’m undecided about a major but when college is over, I don’t want soccer to be the end of my career.”
Tinney does, however, end his scholastic career on a high note. He has been named The Almanac’s Most Valuable Player for the 2016 boys’ soccer season.
“Wow,” he said upon learning the news. “That’s a very high honor. I’m at a loss for words. I feel that there are guys out there that I competed against with the same level of talent and sometimes, depending on the game, make a better play than you, but I think we had a good year and I’m very excited to accept the award on behalf of my team.”