GATLINBURG — Oneida bounced back nicely in the second day of play at the Rocky Top Cup here Saturday morning, scoring a 5-0 win over Pigeon Forge on the strength of four goals from Aliyah Douglas.
The junior Douglas, who was the Lady Indians’ leading scorer last season after bursting onto the scene with a big season as a freshman in 2019, had been held without a goal through the first two games of the season. But she produced in a big way against Pigeon Forge, with one goal in the first half and a second-half hat trick to blow the game open.
Oneida got 15 shots off in the first half, connecting on only one, which was the Douglas score off an assist by Lydia Kline.
The second half saw Douglas score once off an assist by Caroline Keeton, and score two more unassisted.
The Lady Indians’ fifth goal came by Keeton, her fourth of the season, off an assist by Jillian Cross.
“We did a better job with not much time to shake off the taste of the previous night,” Oneida coach Phil Newport said. “I thought the ball moved a little better and we gauged the speed of the field a little better.”
Newport credited his defense, which created a shutout against the Tigers.
“The defense was much sharper,” he said. “Ali Smith was a huge presence in the back, a position she does not have a great deal of experience at. She really played with such effort and the energy around her picked up.”
Offensively, Oneida got off 12 shots in the second half, connecting on four of them.
“Aliyah pretty much did her thing and Caroline was dangerous for the third time in three games,” Newport said. “It was a good recovery today.”
