Oakdale girls soccer team eyes playoffs after winning first league title since 2011
The Oakdale High girls soccer team finished the first round of Valley Oak League competition with a 2-1 win over Kimball nearly three weeks ago in what coach Kico Monares called an “intense” match.
Right after their biggest win of the season, the Oakdale girls soccer team ran into trouble, suffering a loss in a match they could have won.
With more league matches in the coming weeks, the team had to bounce back.
The Mustangs regrouped and then some, winning four straight including their season finale, which might have been their best performance yet. They dominated the reigning CIF Northern California Division V Regional Champion Kimball Jaguars on Monday, 6-1, to win the VOL outright. It is the program’s first girls soccer league title since 2011 and just the second in school history.
The Mustangs also qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the first time in five years.
“The girls and I knew that we were close on history, so it was a lot of nerves and butterflies and a lot of anxiousness,” Monares said. “The outcome of the game was just a surprise and shock to everybody to be honest. I mean, 6-1, I didn’t see that coming. … They were focused and determined. They wanted a piece of history.”
After Oakdale beat Kimball in their first meeting of the season on Jan. 20 , reality hit Jan. 23 against Sierra.
The Timberwolves team they shut out to open league play hung four goals on the Mustangs, handing them their first loss, 4-1.
“They gave it to us that Monday,” Monares admitted. “They gave us a beating. We just regrouped. My main focus was recovery. I felt like Sierra beat us because we were fatigued. We had heavy legs and our level was not where they needed to be.”
In the team’s recent win streak, Oakdale’s stars have continued their outstanding seasons.
Junior Kyndra Obermeyer finishes the regular season with 26 goals and eight assists. Senior Trista French adds eight goals and nine assists while junior Claire McGee Brown leads the team with 10 assists.
On the back end, Oakdale is just as good. The defense that features sophomore Jocelyn Gradilla is tough to beat in one-on-one situations. The Mustangs have allowed just 16 goals in their 18 matches this season.
Gradilla’s role is unique.
“I normally have her on the same side as the other team’s best player,” Monares said. “I just call her my shutdown corner. She’s like my Richard Sherman or Darrelle Revis. You put her on the island 1-v-1 and I’ll take my chances on it.”
Sophomore goalie Avery Alves owns the net. She has 58 saves this season and has tallied at least five saves in six matches.
“If you get through our midfield, good job, if you get through our defense, phenomenal job,” Monares said. “I believe we’ve pretty much balanced across the board from forwards to bench to defense and then our player is our goalie so if they can score on us hey, congratulations. You guys deserve it.”
The Mustangs are hoping for a first-round home match after winning a competitive league. The VOL sent four schools to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III and IV playoffs last season and Monares thinks the loss to Sierra is what the team needed.
In their last four wins, they outscored their opponents 12-3.
“The last two, three weeks, we’ve been icing every single day. I’ve been stressing recovery,” Monares said. “We’re just finding ways to win and we’re confident because of the work that we put in. I’m confident in the girls because of the recovery, and that they’re taking care of their bodies.”
