It’s a new, impressive BHS girls streak
After taking down another Class AAA state power by shutting out Collierville 2-0 — MaxPreps’ previous AAA No. 1-ranked team — Thursday, Aug. 29, Ryan Radcliffe’s talented girls (3-1-1 starting the week) closed their Invitational play be blanking Hendersonville 5-0 Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Radcliffe-Kelly Soccer Complex on Turner-Allender Field.
“Anytime you can look at a ranking and beat a team that’s up there at No. 1, it helps,” Bearden head coach Ryan Radcliffe said. “Even if it’s just morally.”
About the pressure being off concerning the three-plus year unbeaten streak, “You hope that it’s a positive,”
Radcliffe said. “That’s been our message, is this can be the best thing to happen to you if you let it be, if you learn from it, if you improve from it … and you understand that you’re beatable.
“That was the biggest thing: you understand you’re beatable and you’re not invincible,” he added.
Three goals from Jayla Blue, star junior forward, and two others from BHS standout Halle Bibee provided plenty of scoring against the Lady Commandos Saturday. Three assists came from Maci Ritzman plus one each from Rylie Lucas and Brooklyn Major.
About Ritzman taking charge in a post-match huddle, “She’s a vocal leader for us and steps up for us and has been a really good presence,” the coach said. “Obviously, she’ a player that’s been on the field the past couple of years in state championship moments, and so she understands the magnitude of it and understands what it takes to get there, too.
“Maci and Natalie (Heinig) and Halle, all three of them are obviously returning
starters, returning seniors for us and captains of our team that we expect to do a
good job of leading us,” the coach added.
