Oakdale’s one-hit wonder: Arnett led state in scoring in only season

She collects the ball deep in her defensive third, takes one peek at the long field unfolding in front of her and picks her path.

There are East Union players of the highest caliber scattered out in front of her, each keenly aware of her dangerous skill set.

With a few nimble touches, Ashley Arnett dances around the first wave of defenders and squirts into the open field.

This is where The Bee’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year is at her slithery best, rocking a player onto their heels with her speed and then shaming them with her footwork.

In the blink of an eye, the Oakdale star has navigated the gantlet and drawn the goalie off her line. With the field tilted in her favor, there’s only one thing left to do: Score, duh.

She bends her shot around the hard-charging goalie and into the open net, tallying her second goal and fifth point of the season against the eventual Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champions.

The game of soccer has seemingly come easy to Arnett, but her journey to the top of the state scoring charts hasn’t always been a smooth ride. She has had to make difficult decisions along the way, choosing club over friendships.

For years, Arnett’s focus was singular. She left Oakdale’s tiny bubble to chase college scholarships in the Bay Area. She played for a club team in Danville, traveled to showcases and tournaments in places like New Jersey and Arizona, and enjoyed a stint in the Olympic Development Program.

Each step was calculated. Each step came with great sacrifice.

Notice: Her résumé didn’t include high school soccer, not up until this past spring. For three years, the greatest player to ever attend Oakdale High School didn’t play for the soccer team.

Arnett sat out to rehabilitate a torn ACL as a freshman and respectfully declined invitations by classmates, friends and longtime head coach Alfredo Quiroga as a sophomore and junior.

At the time, she coveted nothing more than a Division I college scholarship.

“I wish that I was able to play for all four years,” she said, “but being that I wanted to play in college, it wouldn’t have been the best option for me. It all worked out the way it was supposed to.”

Indeed, it did.

Arnett landed a partial scholarship to Pacific and signed her letter of intent in February, clearing her to join the Mustangs for her senior season.

She truly was a one-hit wonder, producing points at an astonishing rate. Arnett tied for the state with 42 goals, finishing in a dead heat with Ripon Christian sophomore Abby Buitrago.

Arnett, who entertained offers from Oregon, UC Davis and Pepperdine, also had 22 assists and a state-best 106 points. Her presence transformed the Mustangs’ offense, which averaged about four goals per game.

Junior Madison Feurstein had 31 goals and 14 assists, Talia Millard netted 11 goals and Megan Burke and Bailey Antonio each had 11 assists.

Arnett broke the school record for goals in a season with a month to spare. She did it in style, too, with a hat trick and two assists in a 6-0 victory over Central Catholic.

The old mark belonged to Jill Kahler, who had 26 goals during the 2012-13 season.

Arnett shares the record with her teammates, all of whom made the first-year player feel like a vested member of the program.

“It’s a reflection of how well we came together as a team. I couldn’t have done any of that without my teammates,” she said. “You see how many times I was assisted? Without our team and that companionship we had, I could have never been the state leader. Not even close.”

Oakdale (16-8-4) reached the semifinal round of the Division III tournament, where it suffered its third defeat to eventual champion East Union.

The Mustangs weren’t an easy out, not with Arnett creating space and opportunity. She capitalized on a penalty kick late in that match to help Oakdale avoid a shutout.

The season-ending loss did little to dampen the experience. High school ball exceeded all of Arnett’s expectations.

“It was more than I thought it would be. I wasn’t expecting to have as much fun as I did,” she said. “It was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve had with soccer.

“I’ve been to New Jersey and Arizona and all these different places. It was always super competitive and I was solely focused on getting committed. It was fun, but more like a job.

“High school was all about fun and being with your friends and going out there and enjoying yourself.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Oakdale’s one-hit wonder: Arnett led state in scoring in only season."