"It just came down to whoever wanted it more."
Ethan Pineiro saw his teammates go to OFSAA without him last season, but this year, the St. Peter's striker did everything to ensure his team was heading back with him this year.
His 42nd-minute goal kicked off a dominant second half and was the eventual winner in a 4-1 victory over Collingwood on Wednesday at J.C. Massie Field in the GBSSA triple-A boys' soccer championship game.
He found the ball and needed just a few strides on the right side of the pitch to get in range for a soft roller that fooled Collingwood goalkeeper Tristan Robinson, found the left post, and bounced in.
After the match, Pineiro told Barrie360 that he used the missed trip as motivation.
"I heard everything," the 12th grader told Barrie360 post-match. "I was more hungry to experience it for myself, especially because it's my last year."
Pineiro scored in every one of St. Peter's games, including a hat-trick in the team's 5-3 win over Holy Trinity in the CSASC final on Thursday. Outside of his winning goal, he had at least four other high-quality scoring chances throughout the match.
His teammates were just as hungry.
"They wanted to go back, it's quite the experience," head coach Mike Bruni told Barrie360 after the match. "We could actually medal if they work hard and play as a team, we have that much talent."
In the SCAA final on Wednesday, Collingwood beat Banting 2-0 clinch its spot back in the GBSSAA championship match after taking the crown in 2024.
Both teams entered the match undefeated throughout the regular season and playoffs. Collingwood finished the season 6-0-0, while St. Peter's was 4-0-1.
The game began with a back-and-forth opening half and the Owls had the early advantage when Robinson saved a 15th-minute penalty by Panthers defender Muna Mordi and Archie Hobson scored one of his own eight minutes later.
However, St. Peter's equalized in the 27th minute when Matias Gonzalez slotted a crossing shot in the far corner of the net from about 15 yards out.
The Panthers parked the bus in the second half, ruling possession and not letting Collingwood have any extended time with the ball in the offensive half for over 11 minutes.
After Pineiro's go-ahead marker early in the half, Bruni thought his team settled in with the lead, which contributed to the defensive press.
"I thought whoever scored the next goal was going to win the game," he said. "We had more possession time in the first half as well. I just talked to them (at halftime) saying that they're playing us well, let's just play."
Gianluca Chisholm found the mesh for some insurance in the 71st minute before Orion Brown-Francis came off the bench and capped off the victory with another goal off a set piece in the second minute of stoppage time.
Robinson gave his team an opportunity to come back, making multiple key saves late in the second half. The Owls' best chance to equalize came on back-to-back setpieces in the 69th minute, which yielded just one shot.
For Bruni, it's his eighth GBSSA title in 20 years since stepping in to coach the team. He thinks this squad is the best that he'll bring to the OFSAA championships, but there's over seven months until that tournament will be played.
"It's really really difficult just to keep the team together and in shape," he added. "But all of these guys play high-level rep teams, so they're training throughout the winter as well."
The provincial tournament will be played in London in June, as will the girls'.
