Sevier County’s Aislinn McElhaney (11) celebrates a penalty-kick goal withe teammate Baylie Bradley during the 3-0 win over visiting Loudon on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. (Photo: Danny Parker)
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — First-half goals by senior Baylie Bradley propelled the Sevier County girls soccer team to a 3-0, non-district win over Loudon at the Sevier County Soccer Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
“We were able to link some passes together and hold the ball, something we’ve been working really hard (on), just trying to stay composed on the ball, not just play kickball but really try to posses, try to just link passes together and try to find purple,” Sevier County coach Tim Bohanan said.
The final goal came off the right foot of senior Aislinn McElhaney on a penalty kick in the 55th minute.
Senior Savannah Fox manned keeper duties for the victors, registering six saves. It was the second shutout for the Bearettes, who have surrendered only one goal over the last three matches combined.
“There were some times where (Loudon) took the fight to us, and we just kind of had to hold on a little bit. Fortunately we were able to weather the storm and then able to create some chances for ourselves,” Bohanan said.
The Bearettes improved their season mark to 4-1, including three straight victories following a defeat at the hands of 2017 TSSAA Class AA state tournament participant Seymour.
Two-thirds of the Sevier County starting lineup is comprised of newcomers.
“We know we’ve still got a lot of work to do but to come out and get a result like this and a clean sheet on top of that really does help and hopefully keeps the kids believing in what we’re doing,” said Bohanan, who has nine seniors on the roster.
“A lot of new faces this year on our team, and they brought a new energy to our team. Just really really thankful and proud of the efforts and the hard work these girls are putting in right now.”