Late sub lifts Oakdale soccer into Division III final

Alfredo Quiroga substituted freely throughout Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal, keeping fresh legs on a fast pitch.

But in the waning moments of regulation with his team locked in a scoreless tie, the Oakdale boys soccer coach showed the tactical advantage of a deep bench.

“We had to push it in the final 10 minutes,” Quiroga said.

So he summoned Collin Harrity, a relentless defender with a chip on his shoulder.

Moments later, Harrity bounced the game-winner past Patterson goalie Carlos Moreno in the 73rd minute to send Oakdale back to the Division III championship game with a 1-0 victory.

The goal was set up by midfield maestro Michael Arauza, who lofted a deep cross to Harrity at the back post. Harrity struck his shot low, skipping it off the slick surface.

“I had one right at the beginning of the game just like that. I had thought about that one the entire game,” Harrity said. “I wanted to redeem myself. Right there, it worked … it worked out for me.

“With my luck, it skipped right over the goalie’s hands.”

The No. 2 Mustangs (20-3-5) will face top-seeded Weston Ranch (22-4-2) in an all-Valley Oak League final on Saturday at Stagg High at 2 p.m.

Oakdale has beaten the Cougars twice this season by a combined score of 8-3, but Weston Ranch still emerged with the outright VOL title.

Adding intrigue, both teams enter the ring with belts: Oakdale captured the 2014 Division III title, its fifth overall; while the Cougars move up in weight class after earning the Division IV title.

“We want Weston Ranch,” Harrity said. “We beat them two times, but it’s always been a battle with them. It should be another great game.”

Alas, there can be only one winner, and Quiroga believes his team will have the psychological edge on Saturday afternoon.

“The players are motivated to play against a team like that, probably because they beat us for the VOL title,” Quiroga said. “That’s a motivating factor.

“The pressure isn’t on us, because they have to step up so they don’t get beat again. We conceded the title, but we’re not going to concede this battle.”

Three other Stanislaus District teams will vie for section titles on Saturday at Stagg.

No. 1 Hilmar (16-4-2) will tangle with No. 3 Gustine (17-9-4) in the Division VI final at 10 a.m, while Mother Lode League rivals will settle the Division V tournament. MLL co-champions Linden (15-3-4) and Summerville (13-2-1) meet for a third time at noon.

Oakdale’s success on Saturday will hinge on its ability to finish. The offense has lost its punch in the postseason. The Mustangs needed overtime to get past its first two opponents – Mira Loma and Rio Americano – and then looked like they might require extra time again on Wednesday.

With an attack that moved side to side, searching out creases and alleys in the Patterson defense, Oakdale dictated the tempo and dominated possession. The Mustangs had no issue generating scoring chances, outshooting Patterson 15-2, but few were threatening.

“I think we were the better team tonight, but somewhere along the way our gunpowder got wet. We haven’t scored as many goals as we did throughout,” Quiroga said. “Even though we controlled the game and created scoring opportunities, we haven’t been able to put it into the net consistently. That’s something that can be fixed. We got (Thursday) and Friday to fix it and get ready for Weston Ranch.”

Harrity’s misfire early stuck with the junior as the match wore on, gnawing at his patience.

Sitting on the bench, he longed for one more chance.

In the 73rd minute, Arauza delivered that opportunity, whipping in a cross from the right sideline.

“In most of these games, we haven’t had the luck down there,” Harrity said of the offensive third of the field. “In the end, we decided we had to go get one. We said, ‘It’s got to happen. It’s bound to happen.’ So we just kept shooting and eventually it happened.”

Credit goes to the coach, who maximized his roster against the Western Athletic Conference’s runner-up.

Quiroga played a hunch, inserting a defender at the point of his attack. His reasoning: Harrity’s aggressive, at-all-cost style of play would make Oakdale dangerous during a desperate stretch.

“He has been very consistent and he’s very dynamic,” Quiroga said of his key substitution. “He’s very aggressive attacking the ball, and with a player like Michael who can cross from the sideline, it wasn’t a fluke we scored. We have scored like that in the past. I wasn’t surprised.

“We needed Collin’s energy and intensity.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 12:54 AM with the headline "Late sub lifts Oakdale soccer into Division III final."