Manteca had great looks on its first four shots of the game but came up empty-handed against Oakdale in a top-of-the-table tussle Friday night at a fog-filled Guss Schmiedt Field.

Those missed opportunities wound up stinging the Buffaloes in the end.

The difference was a penalty-kick goal for the Oakdale, which dominated the second half after surviving Manteca’s early onslaught in a 1-0 win that pads its lead atop the Valley Oak League.

“This was a big week for us with Sierra, and I think our legs started to feel it in the last 15 minutes and we don’t go very deep into the bench,” Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg said. “So, they were a little gassed toward the end, but they didn’t quit.”

Manteca (4-1-2, 14-4-2 overall) tied Sierra 1-1 on Wednesday and remains a point ahead of its rival.

The visiting Mustangs (6-0, 12-2-2) got the deciding tally three minutes into the second half. They were awarded the penalty when Layla Garcia-Gonzalez was knocked down in the box when chasing down a long ball against two Manteca defenders on a counterattack. The freshman striker converted from the spot.

“I’ll have to go back and look, because the fog was starting to set in and there was a lot going on down there, so I’m not exactly sure where the breakdown came on that one,” Coenenberg said. “It looked like a foul, but you just hate to lose on a PK.”

Oakdale relented in its high press and kept the Buffaloes on their heels for the remainder of the game, attempting 12 shots against three for the home side in the second half. The Mustangs finished with a 21-8 advantage in shots.

Credit goes to Tina Macomber for keeping Manteca in the fight. The junior took over the goalkeeping position midway through the season and came through for eight saves on Friday.

“She has really stepped up,” Coenenberg said. “When she’s coming out, you don’t want to go one-on-one. She throws her body out there, but nothing dirty — that’s just how she plays. She plays hard and is working to get better. She wants to get better, and it’s been fun to see her improve and evolve as the season’s gone on.”

Kailee Jackson and Makayla Spencer provided what little offense the Buffaloes could muster in the second half, but two of their combined three shots were long-range attempts easily handled by Oakdale keeper Cassidy Mitchell.

Manteca’s most threatening chances came in the opening minutes.

Jackson had a free kick from the top of the box blasted high of the goal in the fourth minute. A minute later, Paisley Coenenberg and Bianca Esparza each had point-blank shots blocked off the line by the defense in the same sequence. Later, Esparza took an errant pass deep in Oakdale territory but sent her open-net try wide left.

“We missed a couple of opportunities, but overall, pretty proud of the way the girls played,” Coenenberg said.

Oakdale heads to Sierra on Monday, while Manteca hosts Patterson.