KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Bearden girls’ soccer team is as perfect as it gets in sports. Their trophy case has recently gotten a little more crowded than it was a year ago, with its brand new state championship hardware.
The Lady Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in AAA. Bearden defeated Houston 3-1 in the state championship game, to reclaim the title for the second year in a row.
Bearden ran through the state tournament, outscoring their opponents 14-1. The Lady Bulldogs’ postseason appearance was a perfect reflection of the dominance they established and maintained throughout the entire season.
This dominance was a trend the girls continued from the 2021 season, where they too went undefeated and secured the state title. Head coach Ryan Radcliffe said this team is part of Bearden history. He continued, “They’re record-setters. They’re a team that I don’t know if they fully know what they accomplished. But, to be back-to-back State Champions, to have the undefeated record that we’ve had, to only give up three goals in a season, and to score the most goals we’ve ever scored in a season. This group is gonna live in history. It’s something that 10 years from now, you’ll be able to bring your kids and your families back and that record will probably still be there because it’s gonna be hard to top that.”
The girls on the team are still processing all that they have accomplished throughout yet another historic season for the program. Part of the key to their success was their team chemistry, and how they all worked towards the same goal – a state championship title. Junior Alivia Stott said, “I don’t think there was a game that we had one person not working for the rest of the team, and we knew our goal at the end of the year, and that we needed to get there.”
After breaking records and making history this season, future teams of this program will have big shoes to fill. Graduating senior Becca Roth said, “It will definitely set the standard, like you have to keep going with our standard. We’ve had to live up to the standard. We’ve had to improve the standard each and every year, and I hope that players moving on will keep improving our standard.”
While the Lady Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in their class, the finalized national championship bracket will be released later this week, as the team will wait to see if they are also named the No. 1 team in the country for the 2022 season.
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