Sac-Joaquin Section D-III soccer final is all in the Family City

Soccer rivals climbed opposite sides of the mountain, knowing exactly whom they would find at the summit.

Each other.

With about two minutes left in Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal between top-seeded East Union and No. 4 Oakdale, the announcer cut from his play-by-play to report a breaking score.

Manteca had roared back from a 1-0 deficit to clinch its second straight Division III finals berth with a 2-1 victory, and the news at Dino Cunial Stadium was met with ... nothing.

“We figured it would be Manteca,” Lancer sophomore Ilena Rivera said.

Soon, the Lancers celebrated their own victory, a resounding 3-1 decision over the Mustangs that set up a “City Clasico” of epic proportions.

East Union (19-0) and Manteca (22-4-1) will meet at 2 Saturday afternoon on the slick turf at Lincoln High in Stockton.

“I’m not afraid,” East Union coach Victor Polanco said. “We’re just going to go and play our game. Manteca knows us. We know Manteca. They know our limitations, and I know their limitations.

“We’ll have fun and play the game.”

Rivera (35 goals, 11 assists) had a feeling the Buffaloes would navigate their half of the bracket, which included victories over Pioneer and Vallejo. The two sides have been on a collision course for months, drawn to each other like magnets.

Manteca is as deep and talented a team as seventh-year coach Justin Coenenberg has ever had.

The Buffaloes have won a school-record 22 games and finished second to East Union in the Valley Oak League, but the last loss ended in controversy.

Leah Manuleleua (38 goals, 17 assists) had a first-half goal pulled out of the back of the net, and there was a questionable no-call on a collision in the Lancers’ penalty box late that involved Lejla Pepic (20 goals, 28 assists).

East Union escaped that night with a 1-0 victory.

“We are excited to face EU again. We felt we played them well enough to at least tie them but did not capitalize on a few golden opportunities,” Coenenberg said. “The girls are ready for the challenge.”

The game is one of three at Alex G. Spanos Stadium featuring Stanislaus District teams.

No. 1 Ripon Christian (18-6-1) takes aim at its second straight Division VII crown at 10 a.m., squaring off with Forest Lake Christian (14-5).

Top-seeded Ripon (18-1-1) will face Amador (19-4-1) at noon in the Division V final. The Indians have won 18 of their 20 games, and their only loss is to Manteca.

At Cosumnes Oaks, Modesto Christian will tangle with Capital Christian for D-VI supremacy after surviving a penalty-kick shootout with Millennium.

The afternoon match at Lincoln High threatens to rip apart the Family City, a passionate soccer town with deep battle lines.

For years, Sierra dominated the discussion, hoarding VOL and section titles while its rivals toiled in the shadows.

East Union rose to section prominence last season, claiming its first-ever blue banner with a 3-2 victory over Vista del Lago in the D-IV final.

Manteca has come close to raising its own banner, reaching the Division III section finals three times (2004-05, 2014). In 2004, the Buffaloes were beaten by Sierra 2-0.

“To me, the VOL is the most competitive league,” said Polanco, a former assistant at Sierra. “To me, the VOL has been more competitive than the division.”

This season, the VOL was the division.

The league commanded four of the top-five seeds, and East Union, Manteca and Oakdale reached the semifinal.

The Lancers dispatched the Mustangs on Wednesday, stretching their winning streak to 24 games. Now they take aim at a crosstown rival in a matchup Polanco classified as the “City Clasico.”

“This is like when we see Real Madrid and Barcelona,” he said, referencing the fierce rivalry between two of the top clubs in the world, commonly referred to as “El Clasico.”

“You never know what’s going to happen.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Sac-Joaquin Section D-III soccer final is all in the Family City."