The senior to freshman connection of Jill Kahler to Madison Feuerstein was good for two thrilling scores and a 2-1 upset victory for Oakdale High’s girls soccer team in the quarterfinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs on May 9.
Feuerstein’s second-half scores overcame a 1-0 lead for fourth-seeded Inderkum and propelled the visiting Lady Mustangs into a showdown with top-seeded Rio Americano today, May 15, in the SJS semifinals.
Rio Americano (16-0-2 overall, 10-0 Capital Athletic League) is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 6 in the nation by maxpreps.com and has outscored opponents 54-7.
Oakdale (16-7-1, 9-5 Valley Oak League) sports an 80-36 tally against opposition and will be a heavy underdog.
“They are very good but this game will not be played on paper,” Oakdale coach Alfredo Quiroga said. “Anything can happen and we are going to show up and try to play our best.”
Oakdale has won four of its last five games, including a 3-0 win over Manteca that clinched the third and final seed into the playoffs. League champion Kimball was dispatched in the first round of the D-II postseason, but runner-up East Union is alive as the top seeded team in D-IV.
Oakdale appeared in jeopardy of a postseason exit against host Inderkum, until Kahler’s second-half passes found Feuerstein for the equalizing and eventual game-winning score. The two share 49 goals and 18 assists between them this year.
“Jill played terrific and she made some really good passes,” Quiroga said. “Then Madison had the hot foot and made some great shots to score.”
Quiroga was particularly impressed with a young lineup of players who failed to match the experience of Inderkum’s Tri-County championship team that sports a roster of 13 seniors and five juniors with only four underclassmen. By comparison, Oakdale has four seniors, six juniors and nine underclassmen.
“Most of our lineup could play junior varsity,” Quiroga said. “They played really well despite an obvious disadvantage in experience.”
Hannah Hanko and Mackenzie Weiglein combined for nine saves in the net during the SJS quarterfinals. The semifinal is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Rio Americano’s Sacramento campus.
