Tim Styles (21) and the Bearden boys soccer team defeated Cleveland, 4-2, in a Class AAA state quarterfinal on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker / 5Star Preps)
BY DAVE LINK
MURFREESBORO – Bearden’s soccer team withstood the sizzling heat and the competition Tuesday afternoon and advanced to the semifinals of the Class AAA state tournament at the Siegel Soccer Complex.
Sophomore forward Tim Styles had two goals and an assist, leading the Bulldogs to a 4-2 victory over Cleveland.
West High, the Bulldogs’ counterparts from District 4-AAA, weren’t so fortunate Tuesday. The Rebels lost to Franklin 6-3 in their quarterfinal match Tuesday at the same time Bearden was playing.
Bearden (19-1-3) will play Franklin on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT in the state semifinals.
Here’s how Bearden and Franklin advanced:
Garza Law is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps’ 2026 TSSAA Spring Fling state championship coverage May 19-22 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
STYLES: “REALLY HOT HERE”
Styles scored the match’s first goal in the 24th minute off a pass by Anderson Aguilar.
“The ball got played into me,” Styles said. “I laid it off to my teammate, Anderson. He played it back to me, and I just dribbled through, shot it and scored.”
His goal spelled relief for Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe.
“Anytime in the state tournament, you want to come out and do yourself a favor early by putting the ball in the net,” Radcliffe said. “It took a little bit. I think the heat played a part in that. A 1:30 game, and a lot of credit to Tim there.
“I thought once we were able to kind of break that deadlock, we were able to settle in. I’m pleased at this point just to win and advance and don’t look back, so hopefully we can do that.”
Bearden built a 3-0 halftime lead.
Aiden Ainsworth scored off a Styles assist for a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute.
Andy Mowery poked a shot with his left foot past Cleveland goalkeeper Isaac Morrison in the 34th minute, making it 3-0.
Radcliffe substituted frequently, trying to keep his players fresh.
“It’s really hot out here,” Styles said. “It’s hard to play in the heat.”
Cleveland’s Sloan Bloanos scored in the 65th minute, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Styles answered two minutes later off an assist by Ainsworth.
With Morrison coming out of goal to make a play on the ball, Styles got past the keeper and knocked a shot into the open goal for a 4-1 lead.
Bearden starting keeper Eli Keener, who finished with two saves, went to the bench in the 73rd minute and Isaac Hembree finished the game in goal.
Cleveland’s Logan Wilson scored from the right wing, cutting the deficit to 4-2 in the 78th minute.
Bearden finished with 14 shots and four corner kicks to Cleveland’s 11 shots and two corner kicks.
Styles said the Bulldogs are confident after Tuesday’s victory.
“I think we’ll be set up to win the state championship,” he said. “We’re playing pretty good, and there’s not much more I can ask of the team.”
Bearden is the top-seeded team in the Class AAA state draw.The Bulldogs beat Cleveland 4-0 on March 21 in the Bearden Invitational.
“I think when we play a hard schedule and we’re able to win a lot, it helps our RPI,” Radcliffe said. “Since we started using the RPI rankings (for the state draw two years ago), that’s part of what we look at when we’re scheduling.
“We know our opponents’ strength of schedule matters, so when we’re able to win like that, and our district being what it is in Knoxville, it’s really helped our RPI. This year (the RPI) started going through and didn’t cut off until the end of region, so playing West several times and Farragut helped our RPI and put us in a good spot. I’m enjoying how the system is working out.
Franklin is seeded No. 4 in the draw. West was No. 8.
Franklin and Bearden are familiar foes on the pitch.
“They’re a tough team, really good team,” Radcliffe said. “They’re well-coached. Their coach (Mike Burgoyne) is a great guy, and I feel like it’s déjà vu a little bit in that a lot of our state tournament appearances, you have to go through Franklin.
“It’s not going to be easy by any means. Them scoring (six) goals against West speaks for itself, so we’re going to have to be ready to go.”
FRANKLIN FIRES 21 SHOTS
TO DOWN WEST
Franklin drilled 21 shots at the West defense and junior goalkeeper Ben Laing in Tuesday’s match.
West had six shots on Franklin’s two goalkeepers, starter Sawyer Skelton and backup Gabriel Krider.
“Franklin’s on a hot streak,” West coach Nick Kim said. “They’re on a seven-game winning streak. They beat Ravenwood twice, Brentwood. They’ve beaten everybody they’ve come across. We knew it was going to be a hard team. They broke us down. They have a lot of talent.”
The Rebels trailed most of the game.
Franklin’s Beckham Phavongsay took a free kick in the 15thminute from about 25 yards. His shot bounced once and then over the diving Laing.
West’s Thomas Huffaker tied the game 1-1 in the 22nd minute with Gavin Jones on the assist.
Franklin took a 3-1 halftime lead on goals by Paxton Bearden in the 24th minute and by Hayden McLarty in the 30th minute.
“We prepared for something we saw on film and they adjusted,” Kim said, “and they went a little more outside than we’ve seen in film, so kudos to them and their coaching staff. They did an amazing job. We really give all the credit to Franklin. They really took it to us.”
Christian Eimmerman scored with his left foot with Musa Kromah on the assist as West cut the deficit to 3-2 in the 51stminute.
Franklin scored the next two goals by Bearden and Caleb Moss for a 5-2 lead.
“There were some goals that haven’t happened against us that happed early on,” Kim said, “but the fact that (we) pushed hard and never gave up is a testament to my team’s character and their ability to keep working, no matter what hard times come.”
Jack Rappe scored West’s third goal off an assist by Oscar Wimmer.
Bearden scored again in the 77th minute for the hat trick.
West, making its third trip to state, is 0-3 in quarterfinal matches.
Franklin has made nine state appearances and won consecutive Class AAA state titles in 2013-14.
“Again, we’ve only made the state three times,” Kim said. “We still haven’t gotten past that first round, so we’ll be back again to try to break that barrier.”