Paralympic national team goalkeeper Sean Boyle has been voted the 2017 U.S. Soccer Disabled Player of the Year, it was announced Friday.
Boyle received 57 percent of the vote, while teammate Kevin Hensley and Power Soccer national team captain Michael Archer tied with 17 apiece.
He back-stopped the U.S. to its best modern-era finish at a major international competition: fifth place at this fall’s 2017 IFCPF CP Football World Championships in San Luis, Argentina. Boyle started every game for the U.S., putting together an 89 percent save percentage. He is considered one of the world’s best Paralympic goalkeepers.
“Winning this award is an incredibly humbling honor. My experience with the PNT has been unbelievably impactful,” Boyle said in a statement. “There was a point in my life where I was told that I would never play soccer again. Yet, coach Sharp took me in four months after surgery, barely able to walk, and shifted the course of my life drastically.
“Travelling the world with people who have simultaneously known every limit yet no limit about their body, pushing their talent against a soccer culture that doesn’t understand the word ‘excuse,’ has shaped how I see soccer as a catalyst for inclusion the world over. When a goalkeeper wins an award, it’s never an individual honor. It’s a testament to the collective unit we are, both on and off the field.”
Boyle kicked off the tournament with two shutout victories against Australia and Northern Ireland. He made a statement with 13 saves against eventual champion Ukraine in the Americans’ final group stage game, and followed it up with even bigger performances. Against England, Boyle bottled up an offense that averaged more than eight goals a game, holding England to two goals. He also helps the U.S. to wins over No. 2 Brazil and No. 5 Ireland.
“Sean has been remarkable since joining the team. He has kept us in matches and his save percentage speaks for itself,” head coach Stuart Sharp said. “It’s truly remarkable how much he has recovered from his operation in such a short period of time. His ability to set himself early with excellent angles and make reflex saves, makes him one of the top goalkeepers in the game.”
Boyle has given back to the game through charity Soccer in the Streets, an organization that empowers underserved youth through the beautiful game.
Votes were collected from men’s national team players that earned a cap in 2017, men’s national team and youth men’s national team coaches, Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and United Soccer League head coaches, select former players, administrators and media members.