MANCHESTER — For the first time since 2015, the Oneida Baptist Mountaineers are crowned 49th District Boys’ Soccer Tournament champions.
The Mountaineers turned in one of their best efforts of the season, dethroning No. 1 seed North Laurel as district champions with a 3-0 victory.
Oneida Baptist will enter next week’s 13th Region Tournament as the team to beat, garnering a 15-4 mark while the Jaguars will enter the tournament as the runner-up, holding a 9-4-2 mark.
The two teams had met on Oct. 1 with North Laurel picking up a 5-1 victory, but Oneida Baptist turned the tables on Thursday.
Both teams turned in solid defensive efforts in the first half until the Mountaineers’ Hero Khajohnsupawatchara scored his first goal of the match at the 23rd minute to give his team a 1-0 lead.
The Mountaineers held the slim lead until Khajohnsupawatchara added his second goal of the match during the 57th minute, putting his team up 2-0.
Oneida Baptist wrapped up the win at the 61-minute mark as Noah Jeon assisted Enrique Gabardo’s goal to push the Mountaineers’ lead to 3-0.
The three-goal win was Oneida Baptist’s first over North Laurel since 2019, snapping the Jaguars’ four-game win streak over the Mountaineers.
The shut out marked only the third time North Laurel had been held scoreless. Henry Clay held the Jaguars to no goals during their season-opener while North Laurel’s second shut out came against Lafayette on Sept. 7.
