A 69th minute winner from Sierra senior midfielder Alani Mullenix capped a come-from-behind victory over Oakdale on Wednesday night, vaulting the Timberwolves into solo first place in the Valley Oak League.
Sierra (8-1, 17-3-2) suffered its only league loss of the season at Oakdale (6-1-1, 11-9-1) just three weeks ago. Meanwhile, the only blemish in league for the two-time defending VOL champion Mustangs coming into the game was a 0-0 tie at Patterson.
“We knew coming into the game that this was going to be a great
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Defense dominated a scoreless first half of the game for both sides. Physical play and timely clearances led to very few chances for either goalkeeper early on. For Sierra, the defensive trio of Mikaela Delgado, Hannah Hint and Natalie Ruvalcaba held the talented forwards of Oakdale to just two shots on goal for the night, none coming in the first 40 minutes.
“Our defense was rock solid tonight,” Pires said. “I thought we gave up very few chances, and the chances we did give up our goalie handled very well.”
Despite the great defensive play, first blood on the night came from the visitors just two minutes into the second half. Shelby Mitchell found freshman forward Ashlyn Splettstoesser in space, who was able to slot a right-footed shot by the Sierra goalkeeper Abigail Fraser to put Oakdale up 1-0.
Sierra never seemed to press after giving up the lead, however. The Timberwolves remained composed on the ball, creating chances and testing Oakdale keeper Avery Alves on multiple occasions but were unable to break through.
That was until the Timberwolves earned a set piece just outside the box after being fouled by the Mustangs. The defensive standout Delgado took the free kick, and rang it off of the crossbar out of the reach of Alves. The ball caromed back into play and found the thigh of Ruvalcaba, who guided the ball into the back of the net to level the score with just 12 minutes to play.
The goal seemed to flip the momentum towards the Timberwolves.
Just 90 seconds later, Mullenix won the ball for Sierra in the attacking half. She found Zoe Sutton, who delivered a ball into the box to junior midfielder Leslie Reyes. Reyes’ cross fell to the feet of Mullenix, who took a great first touch and slotted home the game winner with just over 10 minutes left to go in the game.
“We told Alani to go out there and attack for us tonight,” Pires said. “She made a great play to win the ball and got rewarded when she found herself in a great spot and was able to put the ball in the back of the net.”
For Oakdale, a tough defeat presents an opportunity according to head coach Kico Monares.
“I told our girls after the game there is nothing to hold your heads down about. That’s a really good team, we are a really good team, and I would not be surprised at all if we see each other again later on down the line in the playoffs,” Monares said.
The win gives the Timberwolves outright control of their own destiny in the VOL with just three games remaining.
Trips to East Union and Mountain House next week, followed by a senior-night contest home vs. Mountain House are all that stand between Sierra sole possession of the league title.
Junior Varsity
Sierra 8, Oakdale 1
Sierra scored seven straight goals in the second half.
The Timberwolves got a pair of hat tricks from Mikayla Mercier and Kaylee Rodriguez. Bella Cruz and Ivy Sutton also scored for Sierra.