ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE

Varsity striker goes for college soccer

Charli Esposito | Staff Reporter

Junior Martin Andres Pineiros has been playing soccer since he was four years old. Pineiros’ interest in soccer was “inherited from his parents… who were big fans of the sport in Ecuador.”

Pineiros is the first generation in his family to be born in America. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador and “brought their love for soccer with them,” Pineiros said.

Pineiros said he wants to make his parents proud by “continuing to play soccer in college and earning scholarships to play… since they have always supported me.”

Growing up on the soccer field, Pineiros trained in his technique as a striker and center attacking midfielder positions. He currently plays starting striker for BK and striker and center attacking midfielder for Florida Elite Soccer Academy’s ‘02/‘03 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), a high-ranking level of competitive soccer players on the national scale.

Pineiros credits his accomplishments in soccer to his “complete dedication and love for the game.” He was named 2017-2018 player of the year for the ECNL southeast conference. In ninth grade, Pineiros played as a varsity starter for Paxon School for Advanced Studies. He transferred from Paxon to BK at the beginning of his sophomore year.

Head coach Matthew Case says the junior is “technically proficient and a reliable player with leadership abilities on and off the field.” In the 2020-2021 season, Pineiros played 20 of the 21 games this season and scored 18 of the team’s 57 goals, making his scoring average .9 goals per game. Pineiros shot the ball 105 times in games played, and 45 of those were on goal, so the percentage of his shots that were on target is 45.71%, according to stats recorded by Coach Connor Richardson.

In his senior year, Pineiros says he plans to advance his career and abilities by “working on my finishing abilities, increasing my speed and agility and my overall strength and aggression on the game.”

Pineiros may receive offers and finalize plans for continuing his athletic career after his senior season is completed.

“In the future,” Pineiros said, “I’d like to receive offers from schools in Florida preferably because of the financial opportunities Bright Futures provides.”

Playing soccer in college is Pineiros’ main goal.

According to Pineiros, playing high school and club soccer has taught him how to compete against different levels of athletes. He has adapted his performance based on their skills which has helped him advance his technique and game play. “[Soccer has taught me] to keep pushing and look for ways to achieve [my] goals,” Pineiros said. “{It’s taught me] to work on myself and become the best player I can be on and off the field.”