In a productive week that saw two Valley Oak League (VOL) foes come to town, the varsity soccer Mustangs answered the challenge and walked away with a pair of victories. They first edged out Sierra 2-1 and followed that up with a 4-1 crowd pleaser against East Union.

On Monday, Sept. 22 the boys welcomed the Timberwolves for the third VOL match of the 2014 season. The Wolves jumped to an early 1-0 lead, which they carried into the half. Whatever the halftime message was from Coach Alfredo Quiroga, the boys received it and came out fired up. Senior Juan Rangel found the net after just 51 seconds had elapsed in the second half. Fellow senior Jose Becerra also found the net less than five minutes later to give the Mustangs the 2-1 lead.

“Those two players are very well rounded guys. They are seniors so they carry experience with them too. Very special guys to have on my team,” praised Quiroga.

Much like the previous match, Oakdale found themselves in a 1-0 hole to the East Union Lancers at the half. The tandem of Becerra and Rangel struck again early in the second half to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead. Shortly after, junior Abe Jauregui extended the Mustangs lead to 3-1. The Mustangs continued to cruise through the game and a header goal by junior Bryce Hobbs put the game out of reach and the Mustangs won their third consecutive VOL match.

“We had opportunities to score early, but couldn’t cash in. We came out sluggish, both games, to open things up. However, we did manage to play smart ball and pick things up in each of the second halves. We were shorthanded in the Sierra game. David Serrano was out with a sore neck, so he did not play, but we came away with the win. All and all it was a good week for us,” commented Quiroga about the team’s first half woes.

The team is now 8-3-3 overall and 3-1 in league play. Oakdale hit the road on Monday, Sept. 29 to clash with Kimball. The Mustangs will be home to host the Weston Ranch Cougars on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.