GATLINBURG — Oneida’s first game at the Rocky Top Cup at Gatlinburg-Pittman here on Friday resulted in a 3-1 loss to University High.
The Lady Indians out-shot University, eight to five in the first half and 10 to six in the second half, but only had one goal to show for it.
“Again the opportunities were there for us; we just aren’t doing a very good job of placing shots,” Oneida coach Phil Newport said.
University scored on some defensive breakdowns.
“We had some loose marking in the back and they ended up with some break-away opportunities,” Newport said.
The Lady Indians’ goal came from senior Caroline Keeton, her third of the young season. Keeton did not start the game due to being a little under the weather and Oneida is without several other players in Gatlinburg due to injuries or covid protocols.
“You can see we are adjusting to the turf fields up here,” Newport said. “We started out putting too much weight on our passes. That got better as the game wore on. We spent the last 10 minutes of the game taking shots at their keeper, and had plenty of great looks.”
The loss dropped Oneida to 0-2, after a season-opening loss at Corbin, Ky. 10 days earlier.
“It has been frustrating for us so far,” Newport said. “We have been in both contests but just need to push it a little more.”
The Lady Indians were scheduled to face Pigeon Forge Saturday morning, and will also play on Sunday.
“It’s going to be a long weekend,” Newport said. “We will have to go deeper into our line-up since our legs will be an issue. Still, with some players not available we are bound to improve our depth.”
