By Larry Moko
An outstanding high school soccer season for the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals ended in heartbreak against a familiar foe.
The Newman senior boys' team went 11-0-1 in league and playoff action to qualify for the 2026 OFSAA tournament in Grimsby. And during that three-day AAA competition, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic champions breezed to a 5-0-1 record to reach the gold-medal game.
But in the final last weekend against Mississauga's St. Martin, the Mustangs basically said 'Whoa. Hold Your Horses.'
St. Martin entered the contest as two-time defending provincial champions and they made it a three-peat by defeating Newman, 2-0, for a third consecutive year.
"We've played them three years in a row so we knew what to expect," Newman coach Gerry Moretuzzo said. "They're a great team. They like to play in the middle. We were looking to counter against them."
Last year, the Cardinals bowed out in the semifinal round against St. Martin. And in 2024 the Mustangs edged Newman, 2-1, in the final.
Overall, in the past four years, Newman came agonizingly close to winning it all each time -- three silvers and an antique bronze.
"We're clearly the second-best team in Ontario," Newman veteran Ethan Crossan said.
Playing in gusty wind conditions, St. Martin scored late in the first half before adding an insurance marker off a three-way passing play.
"It was a back and forth game," Newman goalkeeper Anthony Villella said. "We both had chances."
A former member of Ontario's U15 Canadian championship team, Villella made several key saves against St. Martin, including one off a penalty shot.
"Everyone wrote us off, saying we wouldn't make it this far," Villella added. "We've worked hard since March. We showed resilience this whole tournament. It was truly amazing."
According to the Cardinals coach, the absence of captain Stefan Trkulja was a factor in the outcome. The veteran centre back suffered a pulled hamstring in the semifinal round.
Said Moretuzzo: "That was a big blow to us because he's been to OFSAA four straight years. We lost a bit of our attack."
The Newman coach said he was proud of the way his players conducted themselves throughout the intense contest.
"I told my guys that in life you can lose and still be a winner. We're the second-best team in Ontario from OFSAA's perspective, but from my perspective we've got gold-medal kids. I told them to wear that silver medal with pride."
In pool play, Newman started off by defeating St. Peter's of Barrie, 2-1, and tying the Toronto Michael Power/St. Joseph Trojans, 3-3. That was followed by a 4-2 win against Kingston Black Bears and 1-0 decision over Cambridge's St. Benedict Saints.
In quarter-final action, Newman got past the host Blessed Trinity Thunder, 3-1.
"We've got six Grade 9s and 10s on this team," Moretuzzo said. "We did not expect to be competing for an OFSAA gold medal.
"The last couple of years we were a bit deeper as a team. Not so much better, but deeper."
Prior to the semifinal at Southward Community Park, Cardinal goals were scored by Crossan (2), Santino DiSibio, Trkulja, Nico Angelini (4), Lucas Liszek, Joshua Mayich and Afef Binafif.
Mustangs coach Chris Daigle said it was a satisfying victory.
"It's hard to play in front of a large group," he said, "especially if you're the away side.
"There's a lot of history with our school. It's our sixth OFSAA. The bar is set very high for these kids. They have high expectations to live up to and it lifts the level of play."
Moretuzzo won OFSAA gold as a player at Newman but still is looking for his first provincial title as a coach. As a school, Newman has captured OFSAA gold four times, most recently in 1991.