Brooklyn Cornish connected cleanly with a header on Kailee Jackson’s corner kick in the 75th minute, but the shot deflected off a Sierra defender in a back-and-forth Valley Oak League opener Monday at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium.
She did waste her next opportunity just two minutes later.
Jackson delivered another cross from the corner flag to Manteca’s standout center back, this time targeting her at the far post. It wasn’t as clean of a volley from Cornish, who was marked by two defenders, but she got the desired result.
The redirection catapulted the Buffaloes to a 2-1 victory and three precious points in what is expected to be another competitive race to the league title and postseason berths.
“She is a threat in the air for us,” Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg said of the Pacific-committed defender. “We have some other girls that can head the ball, but if you have girls who can head the ball, that creates some problems. She’s been able to score multiple goals for us on corner kicks, so it’s nice to be able to bring her up.”
Jackson also assisted the first goal of the match, bringing her season total to nine. Layla Flannigan was on the receiving end in the 22nd minute, and she capitalized on her open look with a rocket shot from the left edge of the penalty box.
That started a dominant stretch of possession for the Buffaloes (9-1), who did not allow a shot for 34 minutes. Flannigan was presented a chance at a brace in the 50th minute on a cross from Makayla Spencer, but her first-touch attempt was sent high.
Then the defending champion Timberwolves (10-3) took over.
They outshot Manteca 12-1 during a 12-minute spell in the second half, capping it with a counter-attack that resulted in their lone goal.
Freshman Diana Reyes was sent off to the races after she played a long ball down right touch line, drawing two defenders to the wing. That left Kaylee Rodriguez wide open in the box to receive the cross without pressure and tie it with a left-footed poke in the 65th minute.
Manteca goalie Keira McCulley did well to limit the damage, coming up with five of her six saves in the second half. Ava Bonilla had three saves for Sierra.
“We made a couple adjustments,” Sierra coach Manuel Pires said. “We needed to be more organized form our midfield to the back, because we were leaving too much space open for them. Our defensive line stayed too far back because a couple of them were not 100% or were super tired, and you can’t give a team that can possess the ball well that much open space.
“They made us suffer in the first half, but in the second half, we definitely started to work more together, pressed together and attacked together.”
While there were some big swings in possession, some of the final numbers showed how evenly matched the rival teams were. Manteca had a slight edge in shot attempts, 14-13, and corner kicks, 5-4, as it regained control of the action after giving up equalizer.
Zoe Sutton had a long-distance try to tie it in the final minute for Sierra, but the shot zipped just missed the upper-right corner of the frame.
“I thought that in the first half, other than the first five minutes, we dominated,” Coenenberg said. “We were finding space and were able to attack. In the second half, to their credit, they came out and took it to us. Like a fighter on the ropes, we withstood it a little bit. We were probably playing a little conservative, but once we gave up the goal the switch flipped.
“Super proud of the team. Everyone, from top to bottom, played really well. Still early in the season, but it’s a big, big win for us in the VOL against this school here.”
