Oakdale reaches D-III soccer final with victory over Patterson

The soccer pitch at Oakdale High is as smooth and true a high school natural grass field as you’ll see in the area.

But since it’s not nearly as hard and fast as the FieldTurf at Patterson, there was a question as to how long it would take for the Mustangs to adjust to the artificial surface.

The answer? It wasn’t a factor at all.

Oakdale scored twice in the opening six minutes on the first two shots of the game and held off the Tigers for a 3-1 victory in Wednesday night’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal.

The Mustangs (19-5-3) will be in search of the school’s fourth section boys soccer crown and first since 2005 when they meet top-seeded Christian Brothers at noon Saturday at Cosumnes Oaks.

“The intensity and the passion was so high with these guys tonight,” Oakdale coach Alfredo Quiroga said. “We’ve been working from the beginning of the season on putting numbers around the ball and then winning it.”

But there were other factors at play in this game. While Patterson (18-5) and Oakdale seldom meet during the regular season, many of the players face each other frequently in club play.

Familiarity can breed contempt, but in this game it gave birth to the kind of hard-nosed, physical play that comes from two teams that share respect for the game and each other.

There were words and elbows and a few hips flying around, but also many, many extended hands to help a rival to his feet at the end of the play.

“Most of the younger players have played against the Patterson players since they were kids,” said Jose Becerra, one of only three senior Mustangs starters. “There were a lot of things said on the field, but all of that will stay on the field. It was just a good game and we’re all friends.”

Becerra, who led Oakdale in scoring during the regular season, picked up an assist in the second minute when he took a through-ball from fellow senior Gabriel Ramirez, dribbled to the top of the box to draw Patterson’s goal keeper, then flicked a pass to sophomore Oscar Padilla on the right side for the open shot and a 1-0 lead.

The hard surface came into play four minutes later when a high-bouncing deflection evaded two Tigers defenders and found the foot of David Serrano, who half-volleyed a rocket into the right side.

“We came out a little nervous and there’s no doubt about that,” Patterson coach Greg Hartsell said. “After (those) first couple of minutes, we settled down and controlled the pace of the game for the most part.”

Down 2-0 that early, Patterson had to press the action and mostly succeeded. The Tigers ended up outshooting Oakdale 13-4, forcing Mustangs’ keeper Derek Martinez to make six saves.

Patterson found the goal eight minutes into the second half when Marcos Melendez curled a free kick into the upper right side from 30 yards.

The Tigers had momentum after that goal, but it was gone in the 63rd minute when Oscar Padilla controlled a ball near midfield and sent a perfect pass up the middle of the field that split two defenders and found a streaking Michael Arauza.

The junior midfielder gained control about 25 yards out, then left-footed a seed into the left side to account for the final score.

And now, a Mustangs’ team that is one of the youngest in the area will have a chance to play for a section title.

“Teams are built during the season, while players are built in the off-season,” Quiroga said. “Having such a small group of returning players meant it took the whole season for us to come together and we paid for that. Now it’s playing into our favor.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2014 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Oakdale reaches D-III soccer final with victory over Patterson."