Mariana Pinto Stepped Into Lead Role, Led Benet to No. 2 in State – Shaw Local

Benet senior forward Mariana Pinto knew trying to replace the first All-American in her program was going to be nearly impossible.

Turns out she was up to the task.

Benet coach Gerard Oconer was looking for someone to replace graduate star Jaimee Cibulka, who is now at Loyola. He found this person in Pinto.

“When we saw her in the winter, we kind of knew she was going to be something special,” Oconer said. “She didn’t play for any football club in the fall [of 2020] because she was burned.

“For her to play a full season of club football and have a renewed passion for the game, we knew she had a chance to be special.”

In his sophomore year in college, Pinto, a Lewis University rookie, had a team-high 25 goals and 13 assists, and led the Redwings (22-5) to a second-place finish at the Class 2A State Finals.

For her efforts, Pinto is Suburban Life’s 2022 Women’s Soccer Player of the Year. She succeeds Cibulka, who claimed the honor last year by scoring 25 goals and registering nine assists in 19 games while guiding Benet to a Class 3A section final.

“I knew it was my job to step in because as a senior and captain that was my role,” Pinto said. “She was that role for me last year because technically last year was my first time actually playing because of the COVID year.

“I knew this last year, it was my time to do this for everyone else.”

Despite being a different type of player to Cibulka, Pinto produced remarkably similar stats in a similar way. The Redwings didn’t miss a beat, winning their second state trophy in three seasons.

“Mariana really stepped up,” junior midfielder Rachel Burns said. “Mr Oconer said we graduated Jaimee so we need someone to step in and score goals, and that’s exactly what she did.

“Last year, the goal was ‘move to Jaimee.’ Now it’s over to Mariana. Mariana is dribbling everyone. Everyone can trust her with the ball.

And Pinto trusted everyone. After scoring at a high rate at the start of the season, teams began teaming up with Pinto, who responded by racking up plenty of assists.

The Redwings, whose only regular season losses were one-goal decisions to powerhouse Class 3A teams, rode a 13-game winning streak before losing to defending state champion Troy-Triad 1-0 in the state title match.

“It was amazing because I knew all of these girls had my back just as much as I had theirs,” Pinto said. “And that’s how we were able to get this far.”

Pinto was the Eastern Suburb Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. She teamed up with co-captain Katie Lewellyan, the only remnant of Benet’s 2019 state championship team, to form a dynamic leadership partnership.

Lewellyan, the ESCC Player of the Year, was the enabler out of midfield while Pinto was the dominant finisher.

“She’s a great leader, super humble but hardworking,” Lewellyan said. “She goes every ball 50-50 and wins them, is great out of the air and keeps her back to goal.”

Those skills and the experience Pinto gained playing for Benet should translate well into the college game.

“It gave me so much character and I’m going to continue to bring that to Lewis and expect the best,” said Pinto, who plans to major in exercise science on a pre-medical track. “I’m going to do my best and I really think it will be a great experience.”