Normally when a pre-teen boy is playing the role of hero, he’s donning a cape and a rather silly looking mask.
But Daniel Dubiel of the Under-12 Oakdale Strikers soccer team did it with gloves, cleats, shin guards and a jersey on Sunday. Dubiel made a terrific save on the third kick from a Mission SF player during an overtime penalty kick shootout in the semifinal round of the CYSA Association Cup.
His clutch stoppage awarded Oakdale a 4-3 penalty kick advantage and 1-0 victory after two halves and a sudden death overtime had preserved a scoreless game.
The save sent Oakdale into a pandemonium of celebration.
The Oakdale United boys team will now play for the Association Cup title against the West Sonoma County Cyclones on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the Bartholomew Sports Park in Elk Grove.
The championship game was made possible by some terrific defensive play across two days of shutout action in the quarterfinal and semifinal round of the tournament. Omar Gutierrez, Alex Zamora, C.J. Glow and Connor Tipton also delivered huge plays on Sunday to advance the team when they found the back of the net with four big goals during the shootout.
Gutierrez had scored on a penalty kick the previous day to lift Oakdale to a 1-0 win over the Roseville Blazers in the CYSA quarterfinals. Zamora made the play possible when he was taken down in the goalbox after beating a Roseville defender to the ball. Dubiel had several saves in that win as well.
Head coach for the team is Bob Crossman, and the Strikers will now look to bring the Association Cup state championship home to Oakdale.