Four-peat? Unbeaten again? Lady Bulldogs look to make TSSAA girls soccer history
KNOXVILLE — The Bearden High School girls soccer team will be chasing history this season, as they will attempt to become the first girls team in TSSAA history to win four consecutive state titles (Division I-AAA).
With a 69-0-2 record in its last 71 games, Bearden hasn’t lost a match since 2020.
Ryan Radcliffe, in his 10th season as Bearden’s head coach, said he knows things won’t be easy for his team this season.
“I think the biggest thing for us is how we can handle adversity, and we’ve already had to handle some this year when Tyler (Roth) tore her ACL. She’ll miss the whole season,” Radcliffe said about his standout junior forward/midfielder. “The thing with the last three teams here is that they were able to face the adversity and they handled it.
“You know that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot because we’re the first team trying to four-peat, and you know that nobody wants to see us win it again,” he added.
Bearden went 23-0-1 last season, with the only blemish on its record being a draw against a top team from New York City.
Top returning players for the Lady Bulldogs include: Jayla Blue (junior, forward); Maci Ritzman (senior, midfielder); Halle Bibee (senior, defender); Kennedy Lucas (senior, midfielder); Natalie Heinig (senior, midfielder); Callia Meisenheimer (senior, defender) and Emma Rainey (junior, defender).
In goal, Radcliffe has the problem all coaches would love to have. He has five goalkeepers on his varsity roster, including senior netminders Drew Tolley, Sophia Eshlemen and Lydia Cruze. Junior Ella Eakins and sophomore Sophie Keeler also will compete for playing time.
“We have a great senior trio of keepers, and they can all do a good job keeping the ball out of the net,” Radcliffe said. “Emma Eakins played some last year and Sophie is a sophomore.
“All of our keepers are athletic,” he added.
Top newcomers for the Lady Bulldogs are Eva Baker (senior, midfielder) and Calli Motley. Both were actually on the varsity team last year, but Radcliffe said both will be in new roles this season — and both have “taken a big step” in their development.
Blue will be BHS’s most explosive offensive weapon according to Radcliffe. “Jayla will be big for us again this year,” he said. “She’s scored 25-plus goals for us in each of the last two seasons.
“A big strength for us this year will be our experience,” he added. “We had a lot of sophomores and juniors who got a lot of playing time and a lot of experience last year.”
Radcliffe said he’s looking to have a strong back line early.
“Our defense will have to be a strength for us early because the scoring may not happen,” he said. “We have some seniors back there with experience because they played a lot of minutes as juniors.”
Bearden opened the 2024 season Tuesday, Aug. 13, against Knoxville Catholic in KCHS’s Blaine Stadium (after deadline).
