In his first season as Manteca coach, James Burns aimed for the Buffaloes to be disruptors in the Valley Oak League.

They’ve done that and more, knocking Sierra out of a first-place tie Tuesday night with a 3-2 upset win at Woodward Park. Manteca took a shocking three-goal halftime lead before holding on in the end, getting a heroic effort from freshman goalkeeper Alberto Gutierrez.

The Buffaloes (3-3 VOL, 9-13-1 overall) did not win more than four games overall in each of the last six years and has not beaten a cross-town rival since edging out Sierra 1-0 in the fall 2015 season.

Now, the Buffaloes are well positioned to end their playoff drought and are gaining more confidence heading into their final four regular-season contests. The last time they qualified was in the fall of 2013.

“With Coach Burns, all the hard work we put in the spring and the summer and even right now, it just feels good to have it pay off finally.”

Sierra (4-1-1, 8-5-3) had its way with the Buffaloes 3-1 in their previous meeting.

Manteca on the front foot to start the rematch, turning defense into offense to build its 3-0 halftime lead.

Ethan Mendoza sparked the explosive first half defined more by will than skill. Sierra played a negative ball to Christopher Stackpole on a set piece near midfield, but the tall center back was immediately harassed by the attentive Mendoza. He picked the ball cleanly to start the one-man counter and poked it past Sierra keeper Diego Velasco in the 11th minute.

“All season long we’ve been grinders,” Burns said. “Technically, we’re not going to be as strong as teams like Sierra and East Union. We get it and we realize it. The only way that we’re going to make up that deficit is if we’re willing to max out and play for one another. That’s what you saw.

“We work a lot on defense and picking the right moment to press and looking for cues. Those are the things that we can control. We don’t have to have years of experience to play. (Mendoza) sees a moment, picks the ball off and gets us off to a great start. Everybody just feeds off of that.”

Fernando Lopez scored a hustle goal of his own in the 28th minute after he pressed Velasco into making a mistake inside his own goal box. Sierra looked to build out of the back, but the goalie slipped as he tried to make a pass with Lopez charging toward him. Velasco regained his balance but kicked the ball off of Velasco’s back and into his own net.

Manteca got what would end up being a much-needed insurance goal with about 2 minutes left in the half. Kaiyan Masudi took a direct kick from the top of the 18-yard line and got it through the wall. Velasco blocked the shot, but Manteca’s Mateo Esparza anticipated the deflection and scored on the rebound.

“We were pumped (going into halftime), but we’ve been in this position before where we’re up and then we blow it,” Lopez said. “So we just tried to keep our cool and play like it’s 0-0 again.”

Sierra went on the attack in the second half, starting with a three-man back line. The extra space allowed Manteca to threaten with early counter attacks, but the Timberwolves were in control once they settled into their new shape.  

Alejandro Sanchez and Hugo Reyes scored Sierra’s goals following set-piece crosses from Emmanuel Ruiz in the 61st and 75th minutes, respectively.

Both teams traded direct kicks in the final minutes. Manteca’s Mendoza and Masudi had good looks from the top of the box but blew their shots over the crossbar.

Sierra’s last opportunity came from Sanchez, whose free kick got cleared by the wall.

“We’re just not being consistent,” Sierra coach Joe Pires said. “The other side of it is maybe they thought a little too far ahead. When you start looking ahead, you (lack) concentration and (make) mistakes. It wasn’t a pretty game. We did have some opportunities, but their goalie was on. We gave it a good fight in the end, just ran out of time.”

Gutierrez finished with six saves for Manteca. The best of them came in the 59th minute, as he thwarted Sanchez’s direct kick to the upper-left corner with a fully-stretched leap and right-handed deflection.

Gutierrez has been a revelation since his elevation to the varsity team with junior starter Leo Garcia out with injured fingers.

“Shout-out to Beto, he really stepped up,” Kong said of the freshman keeper. “I’m glad he is really embracing the pull-up to varsity. He was a little nervous about it at first, but we just try to encourage him and let him know it’s not that big of a difference. He just has to step up and accept the challenge and he has.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Manteca, which faces its other cross-town foe on Thursday. The Buffs play an East Union team that is still within reach of repeating as champion despite two league losses. Manteca has dropped 18 straight to the Lancers and have not beaten then since 2013.

“Realistically, we’re looking at postseason now,” Burns said. “We can care less about top three and what the podium looks like at the end of the VOL season. For me, it has always been a goal to get these guys to the playoffs.

“I’d love nothing more than to take a bus trip with these guys, especially the seniors who have been through it. For them to have this kind of success and to be in this position this late in the season is everything I could have hoped for.”

Sierra will look to rebound Thursday at fifth-place Oakdale.

“We were control of our own destiny,” Pires said. “We can’t take anyone lightly. This was a big game — everyone we play now is a big game.”

Junior varsity

Sierra 3, Manteca 0

Preston Gallegos recorded a brace, and Kevin Gracia scored once in Sierra’s shutout.