Oakdale girls soccer falls to Roseville in D-III title match, looks forward to NorCals
Oakdale girls soccer coach Kico Monares knew that in the Mustangs’ Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship match against Roseville, offense would be hard to come by.
The Mustangs, the No. 5 seed in the bracket, traveled to Cosumnes River College on Saturday to take on the division’s No. 2 team, which has allowed just two goals all season. Monares stressed the importance of scoring off corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks if they wanted to have any chance at capturing the first section title in program history.
“Coming into this game, we knew how well they played and how organized they were defensively ...,” Monares said. “We were planning to heavily rely on tactics. We were trying to get corner kicks and throw-ins. That’s how you beat teams like this.”
Though they controlled possession for a lot of the game, that final connection never came as the Mustangs fell short in the title match for the second year in a row, 1-0.
The Mustangs’ defense has been no slouch, either, late in the season. Through the end of Valley Oak League and into the postseason, as a result of good play by the defense and a wall in goal in senior Avery Alves, Oakdale entered Saturday’s title match with five shutouts in its last six contests.
Through the first half of the defensive slugfest, neither team surrendered a goal. With 33 minutes left in the second half, an incredible bending shot from Roseville forward Dani Ghibanescu slipped inside the top right corner of the goal to break the tie and ultimately decide the match.
The Mustangs played in their second straight section title match, making back-to-back title appearances for the first time in school history. After serving as at top-three seed last season, this year, the Mustangs had to get there as a No. 5 seed.
They finished second in the competitive Valley Oak League, a spot behind Sierra, which was the No. 1 seed in the D-III bracket.
In the first round, Oakdale beat Buhach Colony at home and went on the road to upset No. 4 Del Campo, 1-0. In the semifinals, they hosted No. 8 Christian Brothers, cruising to a 3-0 victory.
Monares consoled his team postgame, telling the players not to let one result determine their outlook on a successful season thus far.
“The program is in great shape,” he said in his postgame interview. “We’ve got great leadership and great underclassmen. We have a bright future, but this one hurts a lot more this year than last year just because we tasted this last year. These girls put in numerous hours behind closed doors and we were ready.”
The community of Oakdale showed up for its team, and Monares said he feels supported by the fans, team, parents and school administration.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the support of my principal and athletic director,” he said. “What they do for us behind closed doors is absolutely amazing. They support myself and the program.”
The Mustangs await their draw for the CIF Northern California Regional playoffs, which will come Sunday. They will play their first game of the regional playoffs early next week with the hopes of extending the season of senior leaders like Alves and captains Jocelyn Gradilla, Lyndee Cox and Kyleigh Melconian.
“Our senior returners have kept the underclassmen prepared and focused and taking things seriously,” Monares said. “They’re competitors and they know what it takes.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 7:50 AM.
