The Bearden Bulldogs matched up with Halls in a TSSAA Region 2-AAA tournament semifinal on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. Bearden advanced, 4-1. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY DAVE LINK
Bearden soccer coach Ryan Radcliffe wanted to see his team play with a sense of urgency Tuesday night, and that’s what it did.
The host Bulldogs fired 31 shots (13 on goal) at Halls junior goalkeeper Parker Crittenden during a 4-1 victory over the Red Devils in the Region 2-AAA elimination semifinals.
Bearden (17-1-1) will play host to Hardin Valley Academy (14-3-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday for the region championship and home-field advantage in Saturday’s state sectional round.
The Bulldogs defeated HVA 5-1 in the District 4-AAA championship last Friday and also beat the Hawks 2-1 on March 27 in a regular-season match.
Bearden is the reigning state champion in Class AAA.
“My message pretty clearly was: we can’t rest on what we did Friday (against HVA),” Radcliffe said. “Friday was a great game, but that doesn’t ultimately have the impact to get us to state that today did. We’ve got two weeks left in the season, so we’ve got to treat it like it’s coming down to the wire.”
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