Brinley Murphy (7) and the Bearden Bulldogs faced the Collierville Dragons in a TSSAA Class AAA state tournament semifinal at Girls Preparatory School on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bearden won 2-0. (Photo by Danny Parker)
by DAVE LINK
Watch out for the Lady Dawgs.
The Bearden girls’ soccer team enters the 2022 season with the highest of goals: bettering the 2021 Class AAA state championship team.
It’s a tall order for the Lady Bulldogs, who went 23-0-1 last season and return six starters, including South Carolina commit Brinley Murphy and Western Kentucky commit Becca Roth.
“It’s a challenge to surpass a team that went undefeated and won a state championship,” Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said, “but I want this group to go even higher and create an even higher standard. We won’t be able to rest on the success from last year. Things will need to be different but I think this group has expectations of reaching a back-to-back state championship.
“We will need to focus on district play first, with one of the toughest districts in the state, and then hope that all of the right pieces fall into place again.”
The Lady Bulldogs’ regular-season schedule – including District 4-AAA actions – will prepare them for the postseason.
Bearden opens a challenging schedule August 17 at Catholic.
“An undefeated championship year is hard to follow,” Radcliffe said. “That is going to be tough for this group to have to deal with from the start. There will be a massive target on our backs every game we play.”
It starts August 15, opening day for soccer and volleyball seasons.
Here are some soccer teams to watch in the 5Star Preps coverage area:
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