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Varsity Soccer Mustangs Bow Out In Second Round
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Senior Wesley Allen goes airborne for this kick against Patterson. The Mustangs defeated Patterson in the first round of the Section soccer playoffs, 2-0, before falling to Lincoln of Lincoln in second round action. DENNIS D. CRUZ/THE LEADER

Oakdale’s soccer season has officially came to an end following a 2-1 second round loss to third ranked Lincoln of Lincoln on Thursday night, Feb. 23. Two nights prior to the season ending defeat, the sixth seeded Mustangs defeated 11th seeded Patterson 2-0 in the first round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Division III Section Championships inside The Corral.

In the victory, the Mustangs scored their first goal in the first half on penalty kick by midfielder Winslow Barrales. Oakdale held off the fierce attack by the Tigers, as sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Dubiel had two saves in the first half for Oakdale.

In the second half junior goalkeeper Nate Richardson picked up where Dubiel left off and had two second half saves for Oakdale. Late in the second half, Richardson blocked a Patterson corner kick attempt that would have tied the game.

“You always have to work hard in practice and that hard work has to transfer into game time,” Richardson said following the game.

Oakdale’s second goal came in the final minutes of the contest off the foot of senior Oscar Padilla by a crowded Patterson goal. Padilla’s kick came from the right side of the goal and past the leaping Patterson goalkeeper to clinch the game. Padilla’s kick excited the large Oakdale fan base that showed up to support its team.

“This was a tough, physical game. We played well enough to win tonight, and the crowd played a big part of it,” said Barrales.

Mustangs coach Alfredo Quiroga was pleased with his team’s performance in the opening round game.

“We had great play from everyone tonight. Our goalies made stops, our defense stopped their midfield and we capitalized on the few mistakes. For us to advance back to the finals, we need to correct a few things but for now we won and we will focus on moving forward,” Quiroga said.

However, just 48 hours after those Tuesday night comments, the team traveled to Lincoln where they struggled to find the net. Oakdale fell behind 2-1 in the first half and could not bounce back in the second half. This is the first time in three years that the Mustangs did not reach the finals.

Oakdale won the Section title in 2014 with a thrilling 2-1 double overtime victory over Christian Brothers and lost to Weston Ranch 2-0 in the finals in November of 2015.