RIPON — The Ripon coaching staff is running out of superlatives for midfielder wizard Tia Sidtikun.
On Friday, assistant coach Bryce Perkins likened Sidtikun to a carnivorous dinosaur.
A stretch?
Hardly.
The Cal State Monterey Bay-bound senior played like T-Rex, harassing Riverbank’s defense with an attacking style of play. Sidtikun accounted for all six scores in the Indians’ 6-2 victory, including a four-goal performance.
“She’s a force out there,” Ripon coach Jose Bobbadilla said. “She makes things happen by scoring or assisting other players. She’s a big factor for our team.
“The whole team played well, but she was the main player; she took a leadership role and got everyone moving.”
Brianna Mortimer scored two second-half goals and tallied two assists for the Indians, who ran their unbeaten streak in Trans Valley League play to four games. Ripon (6-2-1) is 3-0-1 with a series of heavyweight showdowns looming.
The Indians will finish their four-game home stand with Orestimba Tuesday, a night game against Hilmar on Thursday and a regional bout with Escalon on April 12.
Sidtikun scored all four of her goals in the first half, erasing a 1-0 deficit. Riverbank scored in the sixth minute.
It took Sidtikun 14 minutes to turn things around, punching home a loose ball in the 10th minute and converting a penalty kick in the 20th.
Ripon kept its foot on the gas pedal and led 4-1 at halftime. Bobbadilla said his team’s aggressiveness early stemmed from a stern halftime talk during Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over Modesto Christian.
In that game, Modesto Christian rallied from a 2-0 hole to tie the game.
“It was like we were overconfident,” Bobbadilla said. “We had to have a little talk. We agreed the we have to go 100 percent from the get go and don’t be so overconfident with the other team.
“They were fully aware of what happened Tuesday and didn’t want it to happen again.”
Oakdale 5, Sierra 2
The Timberwolves’ schizophrenic season continued on Friday evening.
Oakdale scored four second-half goals, busting open what had been an evenly played 1-1 Valley Oak League game through the first 40 minutes.
Jill Kahler and Madison Feuerstein scored two goals apiece for the Mustangs (9-5-2), now 3-2 in VOL play.
Sydnee Canales found the back of the net twice for the Timberwolves, each coming off a feed from Tiffany Quezada.
Sierra (1-3, 5-5-2) has gone into a tailspin since routing Lathrop in its VOL opener. The Timberwolves have lost three straight games -- to Manteca, Kimball and now Oakdale -- by a combined score of 10-3.
Coach Manuel Pires says his team is searching for the right combination of players, a problem exacerbated by an injury to Naomi Nunis.
The junior striker injured her knee during a 1-0 loss to Manteca on March 15 and hasn’t played since.
“We’re not very consistent and it’s been a struggle,” Pires said. “We’ve talked a couple of times before. They have to trust each other and learn how to play with each other.
“There are moments they are good, but not enough. The depth of this team, especially along the front line, we don’t have many options. Her (Nunis) speed created a lot of problems for defenses and created opportunities for others to score.”
Ripon Christian 2, Delhi 0
DELHI — Teagan Manus and Vanessa Vallo scored for the short-handed Knights (5-0, 9-5-1), who won their fifth straight Southern League game despite having only one substitute.
Bryanna Heida had two saves, preserving Ripon Christian’s third shutout in league play.
