Anemic offense costs Oakdale soccer D-III crown

Michael Arauza found goalie Nathan Richardson lying face down on the artificial surface at Coaches Stadium.

The cause of his collapse: heartache.

The Oakdale High School boys soccer team had navigated rough waters to return to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final, overcoming a suddenly anemic offense and two overtime games.

But against a Valley Oak League rival it has dominated, Oakdale ran out of magic. Omar Centeno scored two goals to lift Weston Ranch to a 2-0 victory on Saturday at Stagg High.

Division III has a new champion. It’s the old D-IV champ.

The top-seeded Cougars (24-4-2) have won consecutive section championships for the first time in school history, moving up in weight class this postseason to steal the throne from a rival.

Second-seeded Oakdale (20-4-5) had beaten Weston Ranch twice in the regular season by an aggregate score of 8-3, but lacked that scoring punch in the postseason.

Following a tense 1-0 semifinal victory over Patterson, coach Alfredo Quiroga felt his team could resolve its finishing problems with two days of practice.

The Mustangs needed at least three.

In a match of mounting frustration for the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Oakdale actually drew more cards – six yellows and one red card – than it had shots on goal (five).

“The ball didn’t bounce our way today,” Quiroga said. “We had that beautiful shot early in the game that hit the post. That made a huge difference and we never got going.

“Since we couldn’t get anything going with our passing game, we couldn’t create the scoring opportunities.”

While Oakdale melted down – the Mustangs were flagged for tackles and talking – Weston Ranch kept its composure and attacked from the wings. Both goals were created by a cross to a hard-charging Centeno, who has enjoyed his best games in the section final.

The senior has found the back of the net in each of Weston Ranch’s three section final appearances. On Saturday, he started the scoring with a back-post header in the 13th minute off a curling cross from senior Kevin Medina.

Centeno cemented the win in the 70th minute. He sprinted onto a shallow cross from Joseph Mayorca, pushing it past Richardson to make it 2-0.

“I call Omar ‘Playoff Omar,’ because he shows up in the big games,” Weston Ranch coach Francisco Cisneros said. “That guy is a stud on the field. He can distribute the ball but also has that finishing quality.

“If they pay too much attention to Yoyo (Mayorca), which they will, he’s that next guy that comes into the attack and takes care of business.”

Oakdale came within inches of taking the early lead. Arauza stung the crossbar with a shot from just outside the box in the fifth minute.

Moments later, Weston Ranch’s Alex Gonzalez bounced a shot of his own off the far post, setting the tone for this all-Valley Oak grudge match.

Both teams looked for the first-round knockout. Only one could keep that pace.

Cisneros said Weston Ranch made a tactical adjustment on defense and benefited from one of sports’ basic truths: It’s hard to beat a team three times.

“We know they’re a strong team and they like to attack wide, so we moved our defense around,” Cisneros said. “They’re a good team, but we are a good team, too. And it’s tough to beat a good team three times. They got us the first two times, and we were lucky to get them for the big one.”

Cisneros said his team was motivated by the way Oakdale had beaten them in their first two meetings, snapping Weston Ranch’s 26-game league winning streak in the process.

“I told them you don’t get too many second chances in life. That was the motivating factor,” Cisneros said. “They kept their cool and stayed focused. I was proud of them when it got out of hand with the yellows.”

The Mustangs’ finishing woes finally caught up to them. Oakdale averaged 3.6 goals per game in the VOL, amassing a 10-1-3 record, second only to the Cougars’ 11-2-1.

In four postseason games, the Mustangs scored five goals and needed two overtimes to beat Mira Loma 3-1 and extra time to defeat Rio Americano 1-0.

Afterward, Quiroga conceded defeat. His side was outclassed by the Cougars, who had twice as many shots on the frame.

Richardson finished with six stops, a small consolation as he lay heartbroken on the pitch.

“They figured some things out, but honestly, the performances we’ve had in the playoffs might have taken a toll on us,” Quiroga said. “We have been spinning our wheels a lot and continued to do that same thing.

“Don’t take anything away from them. They took advantage of their scoring opportunities, but we never got anything going.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 1:20 AM with the headline "Anemic offense costs Oakdale soccer D-III crown."